All Of Me
by The Literary Dragon
Summary: AU InuKag MirSan Inuyasha is cursed by Kikyo. Doomed to be a dog by day and human by night. The curse can only be broken by someone who can love both sides. And did I mention the 50 year time limit?
1. Prologue

_I am rewriting 'All Of Me' from the beginning. It needed some work anyway. Hopefully this will spark some inspiration so I can actually finish the story. Many thanks to my Beta, EmeraldDragon._

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

ALL OF ME

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Prologue

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Tokyo: Early 1950s

"Kikyo!"

The shout that rang through the quiet streets sounded frantic and more than a little bit angry. It was a late enough that good citizens had long since retreated to their homes and their beds. A few curious looks were directed to the source of the commotion. People shrugged, not really concerned, and went about their business.

"Kikyo!"

A woman marched down the street, ignoring the voice behind her. The hand not holding fast to her little sister clenched into a fist. Light shone from the windows of the houses, glittering in the streaks of wetness running down her cheeks and the smooth curve of the jewel nestled against her throat. Someone grabbed her, startling her into dropping the child's hand.

"Will you let me explain, Kikyo?" A dark-haired man held her elbow in a firm grip, his golden eyes pleading. She glared at the hand on her arm and he hastily released her.

"What is there to explain, Inuyasha?" Kikyo glared at him. "I know what I saw!" Kikyo angrily scrubbed the tears away. "You said you loved me! But then I find you in the arms of another woman! Onigumo was right!"

"Please, Kikyo, it's not what it looked like. Just listen to me." Inuyasha reached out to touch her. She jerked away and he let his arm fall.

"You lied to me!" Kikyo shouted. "You're nothing more than an animal, chasing after any cute tail you see!" She fumbled in her purse and brought out a drawstring pouch.

_Why won't she listen?_ Anger began to override any last vestiges of guilt over what had happened. It hadn't even been his fault. "I didn't lie! God, you are so paranoid! Why won't you believe me?"

Kikyo opened the pouch and took out a pinch of some kind of powder. Even in the near darkness of the moonless night, Inuyasha could see a sort of glow around her hand. He stole a glance at Kikyo's little sister, watching the argument with worried eyes.

Miko, witches, and monks with actual spiritual powers weren't common, but they did exist. And Kikyo was a true miko. She had the spiritual power to defend herself or others. Her power was greater than any in living memory. It was even rumored that she might someday rival the legendary Midoriko in strength. But while a miko relied on power from within, a witch used incantations and ingredients to affect others.

Kikyo looked up, her eyes hard. "I know people in this city, Inuyasha--people with power. And they agree that you need to be taught a lesson." Chanting strange words, she threw the powder in his face. He sneezed. The powder clung to his face, burning as it came into contact with his skin. Some blew into his eyes and he shut them quickly, but they immediately began to sting. Fiery tears tracked their way down his cheeks. Pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes to ease the pain, he barely heard Kikyo's next words. But they were something he would never forget.

"You're an animal, Inuyasha!" Kikyo shouted. "I curse you to be the beast you are until you learn to love someone else more than you love yourself. And earn that person's unconditional love in return." Inuyasha fell to his knees as a harsh stench of decay filled his nostrils. He tried to speak, but his voice wouldn't work.

"I hate you!" His heart lurched painfully at Kikyo's declaration. "Let's go, Kaede." He rubbed his face, trying to see through blurring, watery eyes. A wavery image of Kikyo and Kaede turned into the alley that connected this street to the next one. Inuyasha scrambled to his feet. If he hurried he could catch them. Maybe Kikyo would calm down enough to listen.

His knees trembled and refused to hold him. Rough hands caught him before he hit the ground. His head began to pound. He focused his uncooperative vision on the one holding him upright.

"Mushin." He coughed and licked dry lips. "What are you doing here?" The monk-in-training supported Inuyasha's weight, giving his friend a measuring look.

"I heard that Kikyo found you in a compromising position," he said. "Haven't you learned anything from me? The important thing is not to get caught by the girlfriend."

Inuyasha pushed Mushin away and stood on his own feet. "I wasn't doing anything, you idiot. Why won't anyone believe me?" Mushin made a skeptical sound in the back of his throat.

Inuyasha staggered and Mushin grabbed his arm to steady him. "What happened to you? You look like hell."

"Thanks," Inuyasha responded hoarsely. He coughed again, fighting against a wave of vertigo that threatened to send him to his knees. "Kikyo acquired some sort of powder from those witch friends of hers. Stupid, interfering bitches. She threw it at me. I think it's some sort of curse, but nothing's happened yet."

Inuyasha swayed, only Mushin's supporting grip keeping him upright. The monk-in-training snorted. "I wouldn't call stumbling around like a drunk man 'nothing.' I told you to be polite when speaking to witches. They're known to hold grudges."

Scowling, Inuyasha jerked his arm away from his friend and tried to quell his queasy stomach. "I--"

A scream tore the night air. "Kikyo!" Inuyasha shouted. He took off running toward the source of the screams. Mushin followed, but was unable to keep pace. Inuyasha's feet flew even faster when the cries abruptly ceased. Skidding around the corner, he almost tripped over the small body lying crumpled on the ground.

"Kaede!" Inuyasha knelt and turned the child over. The right side of her face was covered in blood; her eye a mangled ruin. His fingers felt frantically for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief at the steady throbbing. Mushin came panting up to them.

"Oh, God," he said when he caught sight of the bloody form. "I think I'm going to be sick." He stumbled to the wall. Inuyasha ignored the sounds of Mushin retching in the shadows. _Where is Kikyo?_ Whoever had done this would pay dearly if she were harmed.

"Take care of the kid," he called to Mushin. Mushin nodded, wiping his mouth with a shaky hand. He knelt by the motionless child and tried to clean some of the blood off her face. Screams in this part of town would not be long ignored. Shouting and pounding feet told him that help would soon arrive.

The alley was dark. A cat hissed at Inuyasha and sped away, knocking over a garbage can. He jumped at the loud crash. Peering anxiously into the gloom, his nerves wound tighter with every step. There was something ahead. A dark figure crouched over another one sprawled on the ground.

"I'm so sorry, Kikyo," the crouching figure whispered. "I didn't mean to do it. You shouldn't have forced me." He reached for something that glittered even in the blackness. "But I will have what is mine."

"Stop!" Inuyasha shouted. The figure started. Something round slipped from his fingers and rolled behind a bag of refuse. Seeing Inuyasha approaching, he swore and scrambled to his feet. His eyes darted between the approaching man and the part of the alley where his prize had landed. Swearing again, he raised the knife held in one hand and threw it. A sharp pain pierced Inuyasha's arm. The knife sliced through cloth and skin to clatter against the stone wall of the alley. He stumbled, clutching his bleeding arm, as the figure turned and ran.

Inuyasha put the stranger out of his mind and knelt beside the body lying on the pavement. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and sucked in his breath. "Kikyo." He fumbled for a pulse, but already knew that it was too late. A sticky, red liquid soaked the front of her blouse. Inuyasha took her still faintly warm hand in his.

"Please get up," he begged, unashamed of the break in his voice. "I'm sorry, Kikyo. This is all my fault. If only we hadn't had that stupid argument." Kikyo's hand grew colder in his, but his eyes remained dry. He felt numb inside. The night took on an eerie unreal quality. At any moment he would awaken, and this would be a nightmare. That was his fervent hope--slowly becoming a desperate plea as the hours passed.

The sun peeked over the horizon, though the alley remained in shadow. Inuyasha was too sunk in misery to notice when his body first began to glow a sullen red. Starting to feel dizzy, he blinked as his vision wavered in and out of focus. Sweat poured down his face and dampened his shirt. Opening his mouth, he panted in short breaths. It felt like his entire body was on fire. One hand reached up to claw at the neckline of his shirt, but already he was too weak to tear the cloth.

Sharp bursts of pain crackled along his joints. It felt like his bones were shifting, changing shape. And that someone had reached in and grabbed his organs, then put them back in different places. Scents intensified, overwhelming his nose and nearly making him pass out. Considering that he crouched in an alley where many people tossed unwanted garbage, the reek was enough to send him into a fit of instinctive retching.

His head pounded with the same rhythm as the roaring of the blood in his veins. Dropping Kikyo's hand, he pressed his palms to his temples, feeling like he was going mad. The magic lashed through his body and he screamed at the pain.

Mushin staggered around a pile of rags, having stayed with Kaede until the ambulance arrived. Inuyasha moaned, doubled over next to the lifeless body of Kikyo. A red glow still surrounded him. He raised his face to the heavens and screamed; a scream that turned into a howl. When the light faded, a large white dog crouched on the ground where there had once been a human.

Mushin approached cautiously. "Inuyasha?"

The dog spun around and growled. Mushin almost tripped in his haste to back away. Dawn's light trickled into the narrow alley. The dog's golden eyes regarded Mushin, intelligence in his gaze. People were approaching, talking loudly about all the commotion, their courage restored with the light of day.

"Come on, Inuyasha," Mushin urged. "There is nothing more we can do."

The dog looked at the fallen form of his beloved. He nudged the body once in farewell. Trotting past Mushin, he ignored his friend's efforts to get him to hurry. Oddly resembling any number of stray dogs on the streets, he rooted around in the garbage before emerging with something that looked like a large marble in his mouth. Limping on his wounded leg, he followed Mushin from the alley without looking back.

* * *

Mushin got his transformed friend as far as his apartment. Sneaking him past the animal-hating landlord had been a minor miracle in itself. His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it. Inuyasha couldn't be left by himself; there was no telling what he might do. He might run into traffic or impale himself on some sharp object. The way he sat and stared at the marble between his paws hinted at madness... or worse.

Mushin woke from the light doze he had fallen into at the clicking of toenails on the wooden floor. The dog stood at the window. He had pushed the curtain aside and braced his feet on the sill.

"Night already?" Mushin rubbed a hand over his face. Food sounded seriously tempting, but he knew that his cupboards were distressingly bare. With all that had gone on recently, he hadn't had time to go shopping. Visions of tender steaks and succulent fish filled his head. Even the damn dog was starting to look appetizing. A whine brought his attention back to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha backed away from the window as the sun sank from view. He growled and the hair stood up along his spine. Golden eyes wide, he snapped repeatedly at the air.

_Has he gone mad?_ Mushin wondered.

A red mist surrounded the agitated dog. When it cleared, a human Inuyasha crouched where the animal had been.

"Inuyasha?" Mushin reached out a hand, but didn't touch his friend. _Can this be an illusion? Or is it a nightmare?_

"Where's Kikyo?" Inuyasha gasped out.

"Kikyo's dead," Mushin gently reminded him.

Inuyasha's eyes flashed red for an instant. "Then we'll have to settle for finding the bastard who killed her."

"How?"

Inuyasha grabbed the jewel that he had protected all day. With his other hand he hauled Mushin to his feet. "The kid… Kaede. She must have seen. We'll find out who, and then we'll figure out how to break this damn curse."

* * *

Inuyasha growled to himself, sounding more like a dog than he wanted to admit. Mushin was practically useless. He couldn't remember which hospital the kid had been taken to. Luckily, there weren't that many hospitals to choose from. It still took a lot of fast talking to convince the nurses that they were concerned relatives. And the only reason it worked was because he knew that Kikyo hadn't had any living relatives besides her sister. No one would interfere.

Kaede had a room to herself. They found her sitting up in bed, staring out the window. Bandages wrapped around her head and covered where her eye used to be. Inuyasha walked in without knocking, dragging a reluctant Mushin with him.

"Hello, Inuyasha," Kaede said not bothering to turn around. "I was wondering when you would get here."

"Then you know what I want." He didn't waste time on formalities. She looked like shit. She probably felt like shit. He didn't need to ask about it. She didn't need to tell him. They understood one another perfectly. Mushin made a choked sound at Inuyasha's lack of bedside manner.

"I don't know who killed my sister." She sighed and shifted around to face them. "But I do know what he was after. The Shikon Jewel."

"You mean this thing?" Inuyasha held up the marble. "I knew it was important to her, but I didn't think it was worth dying over."

"The Shikon Jewel is a very powerful item. It is worth a lot to certain people. Without it I don't think my sister would have had the strength to place that curse on you."

That snagged Inuyasha's attention. He forgot all about the Shikon Jewel. "You know about the curse? Do you know how to break it?"

"You hurt Kikyo very much. I don't think I should tell you anything." Kaede crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. For the first time she looked like the ten-year-old child she was.

"How many times do I have to say this?" Inuyasha shouted. "I didn't cheat on Kikyo! I was set up!"

Kaede smiled. "Calm down, Inuyasha. I believe you." All the anger flowed out of Inuyasha and he swayed with exhaustion. She patted the bed beside her. Numb, he sat on the rough hospital-issue blanket.

Mushin spoke up for the first time. "You do know how to break the curse?"

The child nodded. "I was with Kikyo when she acquired the spell ingredients. Since it is night again, you already know part of the curse." She paused until Inuyasha grunted assent. "By day you turn into a dog. Only at night will you regain your human form. The curse will be broken when you find someone with spiritual powers who can love both the man and the beast."

"So I just have to make some girl fall in love with me?" Inuyasha looked thoughtful.

"I didn't say it had to be a girl. Anyone with spiritual powers, even a monk." She pointed at Mushin. "And he or she has to kiss you on the night of the new moon because that was when the curse was cast."

Inuyasha gagged. "I am not kissing a man!"

Mushin looked offended. "Well I don't want to kiss you either."

"One more thing." Kaede held up a finger. "While you are under the curse, you will remain the age you are now. For the next fifty years you will not grow one day older."

"Why fifty years?" Mushin asked curiously.

"The curse has a fifty-year time limit." She leaned back into the pillows and closed her eye.

"If I don't find someone to fall in love with me and give this kiss before time runs out, then the curse is broken anyway." Inuyasha snorted. "Hardly seems worth it."

"No," Kaede said without opening her eye. "When the fifty years are up, if the curse isn't broken before then, you die."

Mushin paled and turned to look at his friend. Inuyasha seemed unconcerned.

"Big deal." Inuyasha stood up and stretched. "I'll have this curse beaten inside of a week. Besides, that will give me more time to track down Kikyo's killer."

"Don't be so arrogant, Inuyasha." Mushin clutched at his sleeve.

Inuyasha shook him off. "Grow a backbone, Mushin." He waved to Kaede as he walked out of the room. "See you around, kid. Don't stock up on chew toys yet."

"Kikyo was right about one thing," Kaede said out loud after the two had left. "You do have a lot to learn."

And so our story begins.

_

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What do you think? Any and all thoughts are welcome. Now I'm starting to remember why I liked this story._

**Food for thought: **If croutons are stale bread, why do they come in airtight packages?


	2. Chapter 1

_Inuyasha is human in this story with his human black hair like in the manga. He still has golden eyes, and the dog he turns into is white for reasons of my own which will be made clear by the end of the story._

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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Chapter 1 _

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Tokyo: forty-nine and a half years later _

"Kagome, dear, you need to get up or you'll be late for school."

The girl in question buried her face into the softness of her pillow and pulled the covers over her head. She ignored the sound of feet on the stairs and the tapping on her door. But she squeaked in protest when the blankets were yanked down around her ankles.

"Just five more minutes, Mom," she mumbled, wincing away from the bright morning light.

"That's what you said five minutes ago," her mom replied. "I expect you to be dressed and downstairs in ten minutes, or you are going to school in your pajamas." She left the room, not bothering to close the door after her.

The girl yawned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Mom would probably be sadistic enough to go through with her threat. The clock by her bedside ticked insistently at her, warning that unless she hurried she would be late.

"Welcome to another exciting day in the life of Kagome Higurashi," she muttered, searching for her school uniform. She found it draped over the back of a chair, where she had tossed it the night before. "My life is so boring. I wish something would happen to make things interesting." Kagome brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt and padded down the stairs, dragging a brush through her hair.

Grandpa and Souta were already sitting at the table. Souta fed pieces of egg to the cat when nobody was looking.

"Don't feed your breakfast to Buyo, Souta," Kagome said. "It'll make him fat."

Souta rolled his eyes. "He's already fat, Sis." But he did stop after a reproving glare from Mom.

"Thanks, Mom," Kagome said, as a steaming plate of eggs and toast was set before her. She reached for the jam.

"Stop, Kagome!" Grandpa reached into his robes, drew out an ofuda, and slapped it down on her plate. "Demon begone!"

Kagome stared at her toast, now with a demon banishing scroll stuck to it. Grandpa's spells and charms never worked like he claimed, but he continued to see demons everywhere and attempt to banish them. "It was only toast, Grandpa!"

"It was demon toast!" Grandpa insisted.

"There are no demons, Grandpa. Stop trying to scare people with your silly chanting." She looked at the kitchen clock. "Oh, no! I'm going to be late! Thanks for breakfast, Mom! See you this afternoon!"

Kagome crammed the last of her egg into her mouth, followed by half a glass of orange juice, inhaled at the wrong time, and promptly started choking. Souta laughed as his sister turned interesting colors and coughed, trying to clear her airways. Mom patted her on the back until she could breathe normally again. Scooping up her school bag, she slipped into her shoes and dashed out the door.

Kagome raced down the sidewalk, nimbly dodging other pedestrians. She shivered slightly, even in her winter uniform and warm jacket. Winter was definitely on the way. You could practically smell the snow in the air.

"Yuka! Eri! Ayumi!" She frantically waved her arm to catch the attention of three girls some distance in front of her. As one they looked back, smiled, and stopped to wait. Panting from her brisk run, Kagome exchanged greetings with her friends.

"Are you ready for the test?" Yuka asked.

"Of course!" Kagome replied promptly. She frowned, straining to remember if she had studied. "Which test would that be?"

"The one in math, silly." Ayumi laughed at the expression on Kagome's face. "Your least favorite subject." Giggling and gossiping, the four girls passed into the school building. Caught up in discussing the trials of the day, not one of them noticed the pair of golden eyes observing them from sheltering bushes at the edge of the schoolyard.

* * *

Sighing, Kagome stepped out of the building and shaded her eyes against the late afternoon sun. Who needed math? It wasn't like she was planning to be an accountant or anything. Grandpa already had her life planned out. She was to be the next caretaker of the Sunset Shrine. It was in her blood. 

"I hope mikos don't need math." Kagome set a brisk pace towards home. She didn't believe in any of that miko nonsense. She was Kagome Higurashi, an ordinary junior high school girl. High school and college were in her future, not tied to the shrine that had been home all of her life.

Someone was following her. There was an uncomfortable prickling sensation on the back of her neck. Her footsteps slowed and then stopped. Taking a deep breath to control her inexplicable trembling, she peeked over her shoulder. A white dog stood in the middle of the sidewalk, regarding her with golden eyes. The coat looked filthy and matted, like the dog had rolled in the mud and crawled through a patch of weeds. Unnervingly direct in his stare, the dog looked like he was waiting for her to do something.

"Scram! Go home!" Kagome stomped her foot on the sidewalk, making shooing motions with her hands. Something flashed in the dog's eyes. Could dogs get disgusted? She felt somehow embarrassed, and this made her angry. She marched up to the dog.

"Go home!" she shouted, pointing in the general direction of the school. The dog opened his mouth. For a second she thought he was going to bite her. But the dog only yawned and sat down, plainly intent on not going anywhere.

Kagome turned around and continued on her way. The clicking of the dog's toenails on the sidewalk told her that he was following. Refusing to acknowledge the beast, she didn't stop until reaching the steps leading to the shrine. The dog sat down just out of reach and watched her. She was just wondering if throwing her math book at him would convince him to leave her alone when Souta appeared.

"Cool!" He ran up to the dog without fear. "Where'd you get the great dog?"

"Stay away from him, Souta!" Kagome grabbed his arm and yanked him back. The dog spared a glance for the boy before continuing to watch the girl. "He might bite you!"

Souta wiggled out of her hold. "He won't bite," he assured his sister, scratching the dog on the head. One ear flicked in acknowledgment. "Can we keep him?"

Kagome wrinkled her nose. "He's filthy, Souta. And he probably has all sorts of diseases." Was it her imagination or did the dog look offended? "I bet somebody's looking for him."

"No collar or tags," Souta stated cheerfully. "Just a marble tied around his neck. What should we call him?"

"How about Stinky?" Souta and the dog gave her the same flat look.

At that moment, Grandpa came around the corner of the shrine carrying his broom. He stopped when he saw his grandchildren with a large white dog. The broom fell with a clatter. Whipping out one of his ever-present ofudas, he plastered it on the dog's nose.

"Demon begone!" he shouted. With a long-suffering sigh, the dog rubbed his paw against his nose and dislodged the scroll.

"We'll call him Demon!" Souta grabbed the thick fur around the dog's neck and tugged. "Come on, Demon. I'll introduce you to Mom."

Kagome and Grandpa stared as Souta took off. Casting an eerily triumphant look at the girl, the dog willingly followed. Bending, she retrieved the broom from the sidewalk.

"Looks like we got a dog," she commented, beginning to trudge up the stairs. Unbeknownst to Kagome, her life just got a hell of a lot more interesting.

* * *

"What a sweet, well-behaved dog," Mom commented. The dog sat in the middle of the living room. Buyo perched uncomfortably on the top of the bookshelf, clearly not happy in the least. No one had listened to him or tried to throw the interloper out, even when he hissed his displeasure. The dog had plopped himself down on the rug, managing to radiate smugness. Kagome tried to ignore the dog. She headed up to her room to study before dinner. The dog immediately stood up to follow her. 

"I think he likes you, Sis," Souta said.

"He stinks. Someone should give him a bath." Kagome made a face, eyeing the dog's dirty coat.

"That's fine, dear. Just don't use up all of the shampoo." Kagome's mouth fell open at her mother's suggestion. She made to protest, but nobody was listening. The dog didn't look any happier with the idea. With an irritated sigh, she dragged the dog up the stairs.

It took almost a whole bottle of Herbal Essences shampoo to get the mud and burrs out of that white coat. His only sign of aggression had been when he growled at her for trying to untie the marble from around his neck. She finally left it alone. If he was that firmly attached to it, then she wasn't going to argue. The dog was bedded down in Souta's room, despite attempts to sneak into her room. The sun would soon disappear completely below the horizon, and she still had a mountain of homework to do. No unwanted dog was going to distract her.

No one noticed the white dog slink down the stairs. With a clever twist of his paws, he unlatched the door and slipped outside.

"Has anybody seen Demon?" Souta poked his head into Kagome's room.

"No! Now go away!"

"The front door's open," Grandpa called from downstairs. "He probably went back to wherever he came from."

"We'll look for him in the morning, Souta." Mom walked by with a load of laundry. She gave him a push towards his room. "Don't you have homework to finish?"

Out on the darkening shrine grounds, a sullen red glow could be seen coming from the old well house. A moment later, a dark-haired figure walked out. He scanned the area, before dashing across the open space.

Up in her room, Kagome blinked. She could have just sworn that she saw someone running across the yard. Maybe math was the wrong thing to study when she was so tired. The math book was carefully placed aside for later.

* * *

The man, who used to be a dog, strode down the sidewalk. He occasionally paused, scanning his surroundings as if looking for something or someone. Hearing a soft, musical chiming he turned into an alley to locate the source. A young man leaned against the wall at the rear, idly turning a long staff around in his hands. The rings at the top rattled together with the slight movement. 

"Hey, Miroku!" the newcomer hissed. Miroku straightened in greeting.

"I've been waiting here for hours, Inuyasha. Did you find the girl? Is she a miko?" Miroku stopped and sniffed the air. "And why do you smell like Herbal Essences?"

"It's not what you think, you damn lech! She just-- Never mind!" Inuyasha grabbed the young monk's arm and pulled him out of the alley.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Miroku asked, falling into step with his friend.

"This girl will break the spell." Inuyasha didn't look at Miroku, just kept walking. But he sounded sure of himself.

"That's what you said about the last six girls. What makes this one different?"

"She just is," Inuyasha snapped irritably. The flowery scent of the shampoo was starting to give him a headache. He sighed. "Look, I've been searching for almost fifty years. In all that time, not once has the Shikon jewel done more than turn a deeper shade of pink. Kaede told me that the jewel reacts to miko power, the stronger the power the stronger the reaction. When I saw that girl today, the jewel burned so hot that it almost singed my fur."

Miroku nodded his head in understanding. They walked for a while in comfortable silence.

"Did you find out anything useful today?" Inuyasha abruptly asked.

Miroku shook his head. "Another dead end. Old man Toutousai had never even heard of the Shikon jewel. And he was in America fifty years ago. His story checks out."

"Damn!" Inuyasha fingered the round jewel at his throat. "Do we have any other leads?"

"Nothing solid. But I am supposed to meet Myoga tomorrow. That little parasite usually knows something."

"I hope so." The two climbed the stairs to the small apartment located above Kaede's herb shop. "I'm running out of time."

"We're home!" Miroku opened the door just wide enough for the two of them to step inside. An old woman looked up from the table where she was crushing herbs. The patch over one eye gave her a slightly sinister appearance.

"Welcome back, you two." Kaede didn't rise to greet them. Inuyasha flopped down into a chair, hooking a leg over the armrest.

"Isn't there another way to break this damn curse!" Inuyasha burst out. "I only have six more months. And then I die and Kikyo's killer goes unpunished." He smashed his fist onto the small table beside the chair, punching a hole through the thin wood. The lamp wobbled dangerously close to the edge.

"It is six months you can use wisely." Kaede put her herbs down, devoting her entire attention to the angry young man. "You will not find love with so much hatred in your heart. And the Shikon jewel you wear will draw the killer like a moth to the flame. It has already drawn the attention of one you would be wise to avoid. He already suspects too much."

Inuyahsa snorted. "He doesn't frighten me. He's just another obstacle between me and vengeance."

"Relax, Inuyasha." Miroku leaned his staff against the wall. Stretching, he yawned before smiling encouragingly. "Tomorrow I will seek out Myoga. And you can get to know this girl you found."

"Tomorrow," Inuyasha agreed softly. He clutched the Shikon jewel in his fingers, his golden eyes glinting with his vow.

**

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Food for thought:** There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. 


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

"Did you hear? There's a new transfer student today."

"I heard that she was kicked out of her last school for fighting."

"I heard that she beat up a teacher."

"Even the principal is afraid of her. They'll send her to a reform school if she doesn't shape up."

Kagome ignored the whispering in the halls. She had better things to do than speculate about the new transfer student. Souta had worried all night about his beloved dog. He was thrilled to find the animal waiting outside the door in the morning.

"Hey, Kagome!" Kagome turned around at the sound of her name. She smiled to see her three friends.

"What do you think about the new transfer student?" Yuka asked excitedly.

"What about her?" Kagome looked blankly at her.

Eri rolled her eyes. "Honestly, girl. You are hopeless. Don't you ever listen to the gossip?"

"It's all over the school," Ayumi broke in. "She was kicked out of her old school for fighting. I heard that she put some guy in the hospital. They don't know if he'll ever walk normally again."

Kagome started walking again while Ayumi chattered on about the new girl, repeating the rumors she had heard and making up some of her own. She stopped by her small personal locker to exchange her street shoes for plain, rubber-soled school ones, only half-listening to her friends.

"Has anybody talked to this girl, yet?" Kagome interrupted Ayumi's stream of talk. Ayumi fell silent, blinking, as she tried to think. One after the other, the three shook their heads.

"I bet that she's a very nice girl," she continued. "Someone should talk to her and fill the rest of us in on something besides rumors.

Eri's eyes lit up with a wicked gleam. "That's a great idea, Kagome." She put an arm around her friend's shoulders to prevent her from bolting. "Let us know what you find out." Kagome threw her a sour look, but didn't argue since it really was her idea. Fortunately, at that moment, they reached their room. The girls scattered to find their seats before the teacher entered. Most of the teachers expected the students to be seated and prepared to pay attention when they arrived.

Fate must have been listening to Kagome's words and decided to help. The third class of the day had just ended, and people were taking advantage of the small break to gossip with friends. Her brain already felt numb with an overload of new information that she would be expected to remember. Being midmorning, she was thinking ahead to lunch and not really paying attention.

Taka-sensei, the history teacher, entered the room with a quiet, dark-haired girl walking a step behind her. They stopped at the front of the room and waited patiently for the noise to die down. Nobody paid any attention, continuing to fill the room with the hum of conversation. Taka-sensei frowned.

"May I have your attention please?"

Most of the students ignored their teacher. A repeated call for silence was also ignored. Taka-sensei sighed. At only a little over five feet, she was shorter than most of her students. A fact that caused most of them to think she was easily cowed by larger people. She stood straight and filled her lungs with air.

"Sit down and shut up!" Startled silence reigned throughout the room. Such a booming voice coming from a small person never failed to get instant cooperation. The girl standing next to her flinched slightly, her only sign of unease.

"You have five seconds to find your seats or it's detention for everybody!" That announcement had boys and girls scrambling for their chairs. For the first time, the new student was noticed. Now she had their complete attention.

"Class, I would like to introduce our new transfer student." She indicated the silent girl with the long dark brown hair. "This is Taijiya Sango. I want everybody to make her feel welcome." A few girls in the front row started whispering, earning a glare from the teacher. "You can sit at the empty desk next to Kagome."

Kagome smiled warmly at Sango as the girl made her way down the aisle. She frowned when Sango didn't respond to her attempt at friendliness. This might be harder than she thought. The rest of the lesson passed in a haze of facts and dates. As soon as class was over and the teacher had left, Kagome rose from her seat and approached Sango.

"Hi, Sango." Sango ignored her. Kagome shifted her weight uneasily, unsure of how to start a conversation with this plainly unfriendly girl. She glanced around to locate her friends. They were standing in the back of the room. Ayumi gave her an encouraging gesture. They weren't going to be any help. Kagome took a deep breath.

"My name is Kagome." She put on her friendly face.

"I know." Sango sat straight in her chair, eyes fixed firmly on the blackboard. Small knots of students gathered in various places in the room, leaving an obvious clear space around the two girls. Kagome wracked her brain for something intelligent to say.

"What do you think of the place?" she asked. "Don't let Taka-sensei scare you. She's tough but fair. What was your old school like? I hope we can be friends. I want to get to know you."

Sango whirled around on her chair. Kagome took a step back at the look on her face. "Why? So you can start more rumors about me? I've only been here for half a day and already students are avoiding me. You don't think I see the looks? Hear the whispers?" Sango tilted her head back, running a hand through her hair. "God, I wish everyone would just leave me alone!" She turned to face front again, ignoring Kagome so completely that she might not have even been there.

Kagome stood by Sango's desk, her mouth falling open in shock at the girl's rudeness. She struggled to think of a reply, but the opening of the classroom door distracted her. Mizuki-sensei, the math teacher, entered the room and immediately started writing formulas on the board. Kagome and the rest of the students scurried for their desks and pulled out math books and paper.

Lunch couldn't come soon enough. Kagome was sure that everyone could hear her rumbling stomach. It was nice weather and she decided to eat outside. She scanned the yard, looking for her friends, and her gaze fell on Sango. The new girl was sitting by herself, slowly eating a sandwich. Kagome gathered her courage.

"Hi. Can I sit here?" Sango responded with a slight shrug of her shoulders, not even looking up from her lunch. Kagome sat down on the bench and began rooting through the contents of her lunch sack. She pulled out a piece of chocolate cake, her mom's special dessert and Kagome's favorite. With a regretful look and a silent promise to her growling stomach, she held out the treat to Sango.

"Do you want this? I don't really like chocolate." Sango gave her a disbelieving stare. "Please." Then in a softer voice, "I want to be your friend."

"Thank you." Sango took the cake from Kagome. "Do you want to share?"

The two girls ate their lunches in silence. Kagome glanced at Sango from time to time out of the corner of her eye and tried to think of a good conversation starter. She didn't think Sango would be interested in hearing the local gossip.

"I'm sorry," Sango said. Kagome looked over to see the girl staring at the scarred wood of the table, idly tracing patterns with one finger. "I'm sorry I was so rude. This has been a really bad day for me. I thought I could get a fresh start. You know?" She sighed, an exhaling of breath that came from deep inside. "I guess you can't escape your past."

"Why don't we start over?" Kagome bent her head in a small bow, an encouraging smile on her face. "Hi, I'm Kagome." Tentatively Sango returned the bow, her eyes softening with the beginnings of friendship.

"It's nice to meet you, Kagome. My name is Sango." Sango met Kagome's eyes squarely and, for the first time, smiled. The two girls grinned at each other, savoring their new friendship. A shout from the edge of the schoolyard caught their attention.

"Where'd that dog come from?"

"Somebody catch it! Dogs aren't allowed at school!"

Kagome peered in the direction of the shouting. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was pretty sure she knew whose dog had come to school. A flash of white burst through a cluster of students and headed right for her. Both girls leaped to their feet. To Kagome's surprise, Sango didn't look frightened, but instead fell into a fighting stance. The dog dashed under the table.

"Is this your dog, Higurashi?" one of the panting boys demanded. Demon growled from his position of safety. Kagome glared at him and the dog glared back. She drew breath to deny even knowing the dog when a rough nudge nearly unbalanced her. She looked down to see Demon rubbing his head against her leg, looking like a beloved pet that had missed his master. Kagome sighed, admitting defeat.

"I'm really sorry, Hojo," she said. "He must have followed me. I'll make sure he stays home from now on."

Hojo nodded acceptance and left, taking the rest of the curious students with him. Kagome watched him go. At one time he had been sweet on her, always bringing her presents. She had tried to discourage him without hurting his feelings. As nice as he was, she just wasn't interested. The constant gifts of therapeutic sandals and soothing teas she found weird, wondering why he seemed to think she needed that stuff. Finally, he noticed her disinterest or got tired of waiting and turned his attentions to a cute girl in the year below him. Both of them seemed to be very happy.

Kagome suddenly remembered the dog. She turned around to chew out Demon for nearly getting her in trouble and saw Sango calmly scratching the dog's ears.

"What's his name?" she asked. Demon allowed the girl to continue scratching his ears, but kept his eyes trained on Kagome.

"Demon." Kagome gave said dog a sour look. Demon's tongue lolled out of his mouth. The stupid mutt was laughing at her! "Suits him, don't you think?"

Sango followed Kagome as she dragged Demon to the gate. She crouched down to look in the dog's yellow eyes. "Listen here, mutt. I know you're smarter than you look." An offended look passed over Demon's face. "So I'm only going to say this once. I don't want to ever see you here again. You almost got me in big trouble, micro brain. Are you listening to me?" Demon had stopped watching Kagome and was instead staring into the trees surrounding the school grounds. Kagome peered into the shadows, trying to see what Demon found so interesting. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. For a moment, she thought she had seen a darker shadow moving under the trees. It must have been a trick of the light because there was nothing there now. Beside her, Demon let out a low warning growl.

"What is it, Kagome?" Sango asked.

"Nothing," she replied. "It must have been my imagination." She turned back to continue yelling at Demon, but the dog was already trotting off in the direction of the shrine.

"What else do you do for fun around here?" Sango asked as they made their way back to the school building.

"Somehow, I think the fun's just beginning." Kagome cast a thoughtful glance over her shoulder in the direction of the vanished dog.

* * *

Kagome emerged at the end of the day to find her friends already outside and waiting for her. She beckoned to Sango who was hanging back, still unsure about meeting the other girls. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi openly studied the girl that they had heard about only through rumors and never spoken to, despite sharing several classes with her.

"Hi, guys," Kagome said, seizing Sango by the arm and pulling her forward. "This is Sango." The three girls murmured greetings. "Sango, I'd like you to meet Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi." She pointed to each girl in turn.

"I heard that your dog followed you to school, Kagome," Eri said after a quick smile at Sango.

"I didn't know you had a dog," Ayumi commented. She gazed inquiringly at Kagome, waiting for her to explain.

"He followed me home the other day," Kagome explained. "Mom said that he could stay and Souta named him Demon." She shuddered. "He gives me the creeps-- always staring at me with those yellow eyes."

"Don't look now, Kagome, but he's back." Yuka nodded towards the gate. Kagome reluctantly looked, praying that it was some other big white dog. Demon sat in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing students to walk around him. He was watching her and again Kagome was unnerved by the intelligence in his eyes.

"Talk about loyalty." Eri studied the dog that was ignoring the teens milling around him. For their part, everyone gave the animal a wide berth. A little island of calm surrounded him. "I think he missed you, Kagome."

"I think he's just trying to weird me out." Kagome shuddered again. "Maybe if we ignore him, he'll go away."

The five girls began walking. The dog continued sitting, but just before they were out of sight, he stretched and began nonchalantly to follow.

"Where are you from?" Yuka asked Sango. Kagome hadn't told them anything interesting and they were dying of curiosity.

"Another city," Sango answered shortly.

"What city?" Yuka pressed.

Sango met her curious gaze squarely. Not a trace of her former friendliness could be seen. "What does it matter? I'm here now."

Not willing to give up, Yuka asked another question. "Were you really expelled from your old school for fighting?" Kagome, Eri, and Ayumi gasped at Yuka's boldness.

"Everything that happened in the past is the past. And I'm not going to discuss it," Sango replied in a tone that warned Yuka not to pursue the subject.

Yuka frowned at Sango's non-answer and took a breath to speak. All that came out was a muffled squeak when Kagome clamped her hand over Yuka's mouth.

"Don't mind Yuka," Kagome said with a fierce look at her silenced friend. "She never learned when to quit." She released Yuka who huffed in irritation but didn't ask anymore questions.

Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi said their goodbyes not too long afterward. Kagome and Sango continued walking together. A comfortable silence stretched between them. Kagome was even able to ignore the white shadow that insisted on following her.

"Do you live out here, Sango?" Kagome asked as they passed into an area where there were fewer houses and they were spaced farther apart. Sometimes it was nice living in a shrine. There was a bit more acreage than most people enjoyed.

"Yeah, it's not too much farther." Sango was being quiet again, almost withdrawn. Kagome turned her head to look at her friend in concern and smacked into someone. Her books went flying as she landed hard on the pavement.

"I'm so sorry," a masculine voice said. Kagome blinked to clear the stars from her vision. She gingerly grabbed the hand that was extended to help her up. A firm tug, with more force than necessary, brought her to her feet and against another person's chest. She looked up into violet eyes, suddenly aware that she was standing much too close to a stranger and that he was still holding her hand. He gripped a long wooden staff in his other hand. Her cheeks flamed red as she mumbled an apology and tried to pull away. His grip tightened fractionally, and he flashed a charming boyish grin.

"Don't leave on my account," he said. "It's not everyday I run into a girl as beautiful as you." Kagome gasped in shock. From behind her came a loud growl. The young man dropped her hand at once, surprise and recognition flickering across his face. Demon stood on the sidewalk just beyond the girls. For once he wasn't watching Kagome, but instead had his eyes on the stranger.

"There you are," he exclaimed, not put off in least by the dog's threatening posture. "I've been looking everywhere for you." Something like alarm or warning showed briefly in Demon's eyes.

Kagome paid no attention to Demon's odd behavior. "Is this your dog?" she asked in relief. Finally, she could get rid of an animal she didn't want in the first place.

"Uh, no," the stranger began, with a nervous look at the white dog. "Yeah, um, well, you see… I've been trying to find him a home because, well, I'm unable to care for him anymore." He cast a sideways glance at Kagome before schooling his face into a mask of sorrow.

"I've had this dog since he was a puppy. Yes, just a little puppy I found wandering by the side of the road." He relaxed, warming to his story. "There were cars coming from the left. Cars coming from the right. And the little puppy cowering in the middle."

"I thought you said that you found him by the side of the road." Sango spoke for the first time.

"I first saw him by the side of the road," the young man said swiftly. "But then he tried to cross the road to get to the cool water on the other side. I ran to save him because that's the kind of thing I do. I'm always rescuing puppies or kittens or beautiful damsels. I scooped up the trembling puppy seconds before a huge semi would have crushed him." He looked at the girls to see if they were buying any of it. Kagome looked faintly interested, while Sango looked bored. The object of the story looked disgusted with the whole thing.

"Why are you getting rid of him?" Kagome prompted.

The young man drew himself up straight, bringing the butt of his staff down on the sidewalk and causing the rings to jingle musically. "My name is Houshi Miroku. I am a traveling monk and, unfortunately, I don't have the time to care for a pet. My duties keep me far too busy." Kagome looked over at a snort from Demon. The more she was in contact with the animal the more she became confused. Demon just didn't act like any dog that she had ever seen. Though, she had to admit that she was more familiar with cats than dogs.

"Have you found him a home?" Sango's voice broke into her thoughts.

"He seems to like the two of you. Can one of you take him?" He looked hopefully between the two of them, though his gaze seemed to linger a fraction of a second longer on Kagome.

Sango shook her head. "I can't have pets where I'm living. What about you, Kagome?"

Kagome gave up the fight right there. "Souta would kill me if I came home without Demon. I guess he can stay."

"Great! I'm sure he will be very happy." Miroku looked not so much pleased as smug. "And don't worry if he disappears from time to time. He'll always come back."

"What does a traveling monk do?" Kagome asked curiously. She wondered if he was telling the truth about the dog. Something just didn't feel right. She might have to track him down and interrogate him if Demon turned any weirder. Of course, that might be why he was getting rid of the mutt.

"The usual stuff." Miroku shrugged. "Offering enlightenment and dispensing blessings. I'm especially good at dispensing blessings. It is one of my more pleasant duties."

He turned his winning smile on Sango. In two steps he was in front of her, clasping her hands in his own. "Allow me to perform this duty, my lady. Would you do me the honor of bearing my child?"

Sango went very still. She took a deep breath. "PERVERT!" she screamed, jerking free. Her fist connected with Miroku's face and he went down like a rock. Through a haze of pain he could hear Kagome's voice.

"You didn't have to hit him that hard, Sango."

* * *

Kagome muttered under her breath as she stalked down the darkened streets. She had arrived home with Demon to be mobbed by Souta who had been hysterical when he had been unable to find the dog. She gave a highly edited account of the meeting with the dog's former owner and informed her mom that she had made a new friend. Mom had smiled pleasantly and suggested that she invite Sango over for dinner sometime.

Because of everything that had happened, it was getting late before she got a chance to start her homework. She was halfway through the second math problem when Souta burst into her room without knocking. He demanded to know if she had seen Demon. The dog had pulled his disappearing trick again.

Mom wouldn't let Souta out to wander the dark streets and Grandpa said his rheumatism was acting up. To stop Souta's howling, Kagome agreed to go look for the stupid mutt. Now here she was, sacrificing her schoolwork to look for a dog that she didn't even like.

"Demon," she called periodically. "Get over here, you stupid mutt." She listened, but couldn't hear anything. You would think that a white coat would make the dog stand out at night like a sore thumb. But the streets were bare of all but a few mangy alley cats and late night commuters on their way home.

"Auntie Kagome's got a surprise for you," she said in a sing-song voice. "How about a nice big mallet between the eyes?" She paused, and another reason for Demon's roaming occurred to her. "If you're good I'll take you to get fixed and you'll never chase another female dog again."

Kagome heard a sound in the alley on the other side of the street. It sounded too big to be a cat. She started across, peering into the darkness to try and catch a glimpse of Demon's white coat.

Squealing tires and a blaring horn made her jump. She looked to see the headlights of a truck bearing down on her. Caught by surprise, she froze, her eyes getting bigger as the headlights came closer. Too frightened to scream, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the end.

Suddenly strong arms grabbed her. She did scream then as she and her rescuer tumbled onto the hard pavement. The speeding truck didn't even slow down; its tires missing them by mere inches. Kagome looked up into the face of her savior. Long black hair framed golden eyes that were narrowed in anger. His otherwise handsome face was marred by the scowl he was wearing. He pulled her to her feet, releasing her arm almost before she had her balance. She drew breath to thank him when he spoke.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed, you stupid bitch?"

* * *

_A/N: A few more characters, a little more information, and a lot more violence. Kagome has finally met human Inuyasha! And it doesn't sound like he is going to make it easy for her to fall in love with him. We'll have to see what happens._

**Food for thought**: Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Inuyasha glared furiously at the girl standing in front of him. She had scared him shitless when she stepped in front of that speeding maniac. How was the little twit supposed to break the curse if she got herself killed? Relief that she was unharmed caused him to snap at her more harshly than he intended. She gaped at him in shock, but quickly recovered. Her eyes hardened with anger and she tilted her head in a way that was strangely familiar. 

_Kikyo?_ He mentally shook himself. Kikyo was dead. He had held her lifeless body in his arms nearly fifty years ago. Sometimes, in his dreams, he could still feel the sticky warmth of her blood. She was dead and nothing would change that. He narrowed his eyes, trying to erase the disturbing images of his dead girlfriend. This was the first time that he had looked at Kagome up close while in his human form. Things were seen differently through dog eyes. Colors were grayed out, shapes and angles strangely distorted.

"What did you call me?" Kagome's angry voice jerked him back to the present and the girl who seemed intent on favoring him with the sharp side of her tongue. Her brown eyes sparked with twin flames of fury.

_Her eyes are warmer than Kikyo's_. Even in the depths of anger, Kikyo never completely lost control. It made her seem cold to those who didn't know her. Inuyasha continued making mental comparisons between the living girl and the dead one until he realized what he was doing. He clenched his teeth in frustration. _What is wrong with me? I haven't compared a girl to Kikyo in years._

"--didn't ask for your help! If my clothes are so much as snagged, you will owe me a replacement! Are you listening to me, you jerk?" Kagome finally shut up, probably to catch her breath. Or maybe she just ran out of insults. With hands on hips, impatiently tapping her right foot on the pavement, she waited for a response.

"This is the thanks I get! I saved your life, bitch!" Inuyasha mentally kicked himself. _Smart move, Inu. Engage brain first. Then open mouth_. If looks could kill, Inuyasha would be six feet under. Kagome drew breath for a furious retort.

"Did you want to get run over? What are you doing out here anyway?" Inuyasha cut off whatever Kagome was going to say. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. That should divert her from inquiring as to why he also happened to be in this neighborhood.

"I was looking for my dog," Kagome snapped automatically. "Actually, the little mongrel belongs to my brother. Stupid fleabag." She muttered the last part under her breath. Inuyasha heard her anyway. Living as a dog for the past fifty years had some unexpected side effects. His hearing and sense of smell had increased greatly, an ability he retained even in his human form.

"You're out here at this time of night, in this neighborhood, to look for a dog." Inuyasha regarded her with a faintly incredulous and disapproving expression. "Wearing that?" He indicated the skirt and short-sleeved blouse she was wearing.

Kagome looked down at herself. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Girls were so dense. "It's almost winter," he explained with exaggerated care. "I wouldn't be surprised if we get snow in another couple of weeks. Besides," he raised his face slightly into the gathering wind, "there's a storm on the way."

"What storm?" Kagome demanded. "The weatherman promised clear skies tonight and tomorrow." Why couldn't the stupid girl just accept his word? He couldn't very well tell her that he could smell rain on the wind. She would definitely think that he was nuts.

"Call it a sixth sense," he growled. "Listen, are we going to stand here discussing the weather all night? Why don't you run home before you freeze off your cute little ass?"

Kagome blinked. Half a breath later, Inuyasha's words finally made it to his brain. Oh, shit! Did I just call her cute? To be totally honest she _was_ kind of nice looking. It probably wouldn't be too bad to kiss her and break the curse. Of course, there was all that love crap. But what did Kaede know; she probably made up the whole thing to make him look stupid.

While they were staring at each other, the wind began to pick up a little more. Kagome shivered as the icy breeze knifed through her thin blouse. With a grumble and a scowl, Inuyasha grabbed her by the wrist and began to pull her down the street.

"What are you doing?" Kagome dug in her heels. She tried to jerk her wrist free, but his grip was too strong.

"What does it look like, bitch?" Inuyasha rounded on her without releasing his hold. "I'm taking you home before you catch pneumonia!"

"How are you going to do that?" Kagome shot back. "You don't know where I live!"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to refute her statement and paused. He couldn't tell her that he knew very well where she lived, and had even been inside her house several times. At best she would think he was a pervert, and at worst, a burglar.

"I figured you would tell me before we got too hopelessly lost, Einstein." He mentally applauded himself for his quick thinking. "Come on!" Starting to walk again, he was brought up short when she didn't follow.

"Wait a minute!" Kagome turned away from him to scan the dark streets. "I can't go without finding Demon! Souta would kill me!"

Inuyasha ground his teeth, barely restraining himself from growling in frustration. How could he explain that she had no hope of finding the dog, at least until morning, without sounding crazy? She had already made it abundantly clear that she had no liking for said dog. And what kind of name was Demon anyway? He forcibly brought his mind back to the current problem.

"The dog's smart. He'll find his way home when he's ready. Quit getting so worked up over it. I thought you didn't even like him."

"What do you know?" Kagome challenged. She twisted her wrist out of his hold, but didn't run away. Glancing at her watch, she made a face. "It's getting late and I barely even started my homework! If I fail tomorrow's English test, I am going to skin that worthless mutt and use his hide for a throw rug."

Inuyasha involuntarily winced at the vivid threat. He looked up as a single drop of rain hit him on the nose. Dark clouds had covered the sky while they argued. The promised rain began to fall, leaving spots of moisture wherever they hit. Turning around to gloat about being right, he realized that the girl was no longer standing next to him. There she was, halfway down the street.

"What are you waiting for?" she shouted over her shoulder. "A written invitation?" Inuyasha muttered some unflattering things under his breath and followed her in the direction of the shrine that he had already come to know so well.

* * *

By the time they reached the shrine, the rain had begun to fall in earnest. Inuyasha watched Kagome shiver. She really wasn't dressed for the weather -- didn't even have a jacket. He couldn't help but notice how the thin fabric of her blouse plastered itself to her form. Over the decades, Inuyasha had seen a lot of girls. Some had been very well endowed; some were so flat that they could have passed for boys. He had seen tall girls and short girls and everything in between. Kagome looked kind of nice, not at one extreme or the other. And she was only a little bit shorter than he was. Maybe it was a dominance thing, but he liked being taller than a girl without having such a difference in height that he had to get down on his knees to look her in the eye. 

"Are you listening to me?" Inuyasha blinked, coming out of his thoughts to find that he had followed Kagome all the way to her front door. And obviously she had just said something to him. He wracked his brain, but came up blank.

"What?" he barked. When in doubt, sound obnoxious. People react to the tone and forget to wonder why you weren't paying attention.

"I said," Kagome enunciated clearly with an edge to her voice, "do you want to come in and dry off? You're soaked."

He thought about refusing, but the rain was still coming down in a solid sheet. And it was cold. And he should spend time with Kagome in his human form if he ever hoped to convince her to kiss him. Shrugging noncommittally, he crossed his arms over his chest. She sighed with exasperation, but indicated with a jerk of her head that he should follow. He watched her walk into the house. Yes, Kagome was very nice to look at. It was a good thing that she wasn't looking at him. The last thing he wanted was to be mistaken for a pervert like Miroku.

"Mama, I'm back!" Kagome slipped out of her shoes and reached down to pull her wet socks off. Inuyasha stopped just inside the door. He didn't take off his shoes and kept his arms crossed to prevent the urge to shake himself dry like a dog.

Mrs. Higurashi descended the stairs. "I was starting to get worried, dear." Owing to some motherly radar, she had a couple of fluffy towels in her arms. "I just got Souta to bed. Were you able to find Demon?" She stopped at the foot of the stairs, noticing Inuyasha for the first time.

"Who's your friend?" She smiled at Inuyasha. "Hello there, young man. You're positively drenched." She went to him and draped one of the towels around his shoulders before he could react. "Take off your shoes and come into the kitchen. I'll make us all a nice pot of tea. Do you need to let someone know where you are?"

Chatting amiably, Mrs. Higurashi guided Inuyasha into the kitchen and pushed him onto a chair at the table. He let her, still bemused that she would be so welcoming and trusting to a stranger brought home by her daughter. Speaking of Kagome, Inuyasha noticed that she was no longer around. A moment later, the girl in question walked into the kitchen wearing pajamas and toweling her hair dry.

"I couldn't find Demon, Mama." Kagome's voice sounded muffled with the towel draped over her head. She pulled it off and tossed it over the back of a chair. At her mom's disapproving look, she sighed but picked up the towel and trotted down the hall. Within moments she was back and continued her narration of the night's events. "The stupid dog is probably holed up in a nice warm den somewhere. He'll come home when he's ready."

"That's too bad, dear. But I'm sure you're right. I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up looking for breakfast in the morning. You still haven't told me who your friend is." Inuyasha jumped slightly, to find that Mrs. Higurashi was now looking at him. He had only been half listening, not really concerned with their conversation.

"The name's Inuyasha," he said, quite suddenly remembering that he had never gotten around to exchanging introductions with Kagome.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Inuyasha." Mrs. Higurashi smiled pleasantly at him. "Have you and Kagome known each other long?"

"We just met tonight when I--."

Kagome developed a sudden coughing fit. It occurred to Inuyasha that she probably didn't want her mother to know that she was almost run over. Well, he didn't really want to deal with an overly hysterical mother. "I offered to help her look for her dog. We gave up when it started to rain." Kagome threw him a grateful look.

"Oh, the water's boiling." Mrs. Higurashi reacted to the whistling from the teapot on the stove. She returned to the table with the hot water and three mugs on a little tray. "Would you like a cup, dear?" she said to Inuyasha. Without waiting for his nod, she poured some water into each mug. Kagome rifled through the box of tea packets and selected one before pushing the box towards Inuyasha. Soon, all three were nursing steaming mugs of tea.

"Why don't you tell me something about yourself? Do you live around here?" Mrs. Higurashi sounded genuinely interested.

Inuyasha shifted on the hard wooden chair. His clothes still clung damply to his skin; the towel he had been handed lying looped over his shoulders. Tendrils of black hair clung to his face and neck as the ends began to dry in the heat of the kitchen. "Yeah, I've lived in Tokyo my entire life."

"Do you have family here?"

"No surviving family."

"You poor dear. What do you do? Are you still in school?"

Inuyasha didn't roll his eyes, no matter how much he wanted too. God, what was with all the questions? You'd think he was being interviewed for a lifelong position as a member of the household. "I live with a friend. She owns an herb shop."

"How wonderful." Mrs. Higurashi sipped her tea. "Maybe I could have you pick up some herbal medication for Grandpa. His joints are bothering him again."

"Sure. Whatever." Inuyasha pushed his mostly untouched mug of tea away from him and stood up. "Look, I gotta go. Thanks for the tea." He walked towards the front door, barely acknowledging Mrs. Higurashi's cheerful goodbye.

"That was rude," said a voice that was beginning to irritate him every time he heard it. He turned to see that Kagome had followed and was standing right behind him. "You really want to go out in this rain? Maybe you'll drown this time."

Inuyasha did roll his eyes this time, letting out an exasperated snort. "Listen, bitch, if you would just use those two flaps of skin that you call ears, you would notice that the rain has stopped." She glared at him, her very silence telling him that he was right. The steady pounding of rain on the roof had faded into an infrequent dripping.

Opening the door, Inuyasha took a deep breath of rain-washed air. The skies smelled clear. He should be able to get home without getting soaked, no problem. Taking the towel from around his neck, he tossed it in the general direction of Kagome. "See you around. Try not to run in front of any more trucks."

* * *

Inuyasha didn't go far after he heard the door slam shut behind him. He wandered until he found himself standing in front of a large tree. A small plaque proclaimed it as the sacred Goshinboku tree, a very old tree that had been around for hundreds of years. Sighing, he rested his hand on the rough bark and closed his eyes for a moment. Things always came down to this. _What should I do now?_

_What a life!_ Inuyasha snorted and turned away from the tree. Fifty years of this pathetic existence. Dog by day, human by night. It sounded like the plot for a bad movie. And it looked like the most annoying girl in the city was his best chance of breaking the curse.

Looking up, Inuyasha was surprised to see that his aimless walking had brought him within sight of Kagome's window. He stared at the bright rectangle of light, letting the hypnotic glare soothe him. Movement in the room brought him out of his musing just in time to see Kagome pass in front of the window.

"Enjoying the show, Inuyasha?" He whirled to see Miroku standing just behind him. Inuyasha cursed silently. How did the monk manage to sneak up on him?

He grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Shut up, Miroku." Miroku shoved a small pair of binoculars into his pocket. "You are such a pervert, spying on girls through their bedroom windows. What are you doing here anyway?" The square of light on the grass winked out, testifying that Kagome had gone to bed.

Miroku wasn't offended by Inuyasha's bluntness, but then he had known Inuyasha too long to take offense at everything he did. "Looking for you, actually. You move fast. How did you get her to invite you over to her house already? Or did you just show up on her doorstep like a lost little puppy?"

Inuyasha growled and showed his blunt human teeth. Intimidation tactics like that worked best when he was in his dog form. Miroku didn't even give him the satisfaction of flinching. "Watch those puppy remarks, monk! I swear that you are enjoying this way too much."

"So? What happened?" Miroku did look interested.

Inuyasha let his eyes stray back to the now dark window. "The stupid girl almost got run over by a truck. And she had the nerve to call me a jerk for saving her life! And then it started to rain! I had to walk the bitch home or she would have gotten herself mugged or something."

"If I didn't know better," Miroku teased, "I'd swear that you were concerned."

Before Miroku could react, Inuyasha bopped him on the head with his fist. "Of course I'm concerned, you idiot. Do you know how hard it is to find a female with spiritual powers in this city? This girl could very well be my last hope!"

Shooting Inuyasha a sour glance, Miroku rubbed his newest bump. "With an attitude like that, I'm sure she'll be begging to kiss you in no time," he muttered under his breath.

"I heard that," Inuyasha growled. Miroku tried to look innocent. "Shouldn't you be somewhere practicing your lame pickup lines on any female with a pulse?" He irritably waved Miroku silent when the monk opened his mouth to speak. "Never mind. You said that you were looking for me. Just tell me that it's good news." Inuyasha shoved his hands into his pockets -- grumbling a little when his fingers came in contact with the cold, wet material -- and started walking in the direction of Kaede's shop.

"I went to see Myouga today," Miroku said, the rings on his staff jingling faintly as he fell into step beside Inuyasha. "Do you recall the name Onigumo?"

Inuyasha frowned in thought. "Sounds familiar. Why?"

"It seems that this Onigumo ran the biggest black market syndicate in Tokyo fifty years ago. He dabbled in a little bit of everything, from babies to black magic."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. "Why should I care about an ancient crime boss?"

"Patience is a virtue, Inuyasha." Inuyasha scowled, but indicated that Miroku should continue. "Myouga had somehow gotten a hold of documents that prove that Kikyo and Onigumo had a few dealings together."

Inuyasha stopped abruptly. Miroku had to retrace his steps when he realized that he had lost his companion. "You'd better be lying, monk." His voice was low and dangerous. "Why would Kikyo have anything to do with scum like that?"

Not wanting to be seen having such a serious discussion in the middle of the street, Miroku urged his friend to keep moving. "I don't know what her reasons were, but the documents indicate that Onigumo was in dire financial straits. And it seems that the two of them had made some kind of deal regarding the Shikon no Tama."

Inuyasha's hand automatically went to his throat to close about the smooth jewel that he was never without. "What could he want with it? I thought that miko were the only ones who could do anything with it."

Miroku shrugged. "I don't know. We do know that he never gained possession of it. Maybe somebody else killed Kikyo before she could give it to him. Or maybe she backed out of the deal at the last minute. I guess that the only ones who know what happened would be Kikyo or Onigumo."

"Let's track this Onigumo bastard down." Inuyasha punched his fist into the palm of his other hand. "I don't care if he's ancient by now, I'll beat the truth out of him."

"I'd love to oblige you, Inuyasha," Miroku said sympathetically. "But I'm afraid that Onigumo has been dead for years. Fell down a flight of stairs and broke his neck. Or he might have been pushed. My source wasn't real clear on that."

"Shit!" Inuyasha swore. "Don't tell me that this is another fucking dead end!"

"I did get one other piece of information that should bring the bloodlust back to your eyes." Miroku paused to let the tension build.

"Out with it," Inuyasha growled. "Before I violate the oath I swore to Mushin and strangle you with my bare hands."

"Onigumo has one surviving blood relative." Miroku paused, but probably decided that his continued health was more important than increasing the drama, judging by the look on his friend's face. He continued after only a brief hesitation. "This is someone you know well, since he has been a regular pain in the ass for years. He is the current kingpin of the seedy underbelly of Tokyo… a trafficker in dark magic… kicker of dogs and drowner of kittens. He is the one and only Naraku, Onigumo's grandson."

**

* * *

Food for thought:** Why are they called stairs inside but steps outside? 


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

Sango leaned against the wall, the rough stone feeling cool against her back. With a heavy sigh she closed her eyes, half-listening to the babble of students hanging out before classes began for the day. Two weeks in this school and people still avoided her like she had the plague. Sometimes she wanted to scream at the wariness in the eyes of teachers and students alike. She sighed again and went back to pretending that the snubbing and the whispering didn't bother her. 

Maybe if she kept her eyes closed long enough, she would wake up and all of this would have been a dream. And everything would be back to the way it was before.

"Hey, Sango!" Her eyes snapped open at the cheerful shout. Kagome waved from the other side of the yard before threading her way among the students until she reached Sango.

"Hi, Kagome." Sango internally winced at how flat her voice sounded.

"Are you okay?" Kagome looked at Sango, concern darkening her brown eyes, and reached out to touch her arm.

Sango jerked away and cursed herself for the brief hurt that flared in the other girl's eyes. "I'm fine." She forced a laugh. "It's just this weather that gets me down."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Kagome nodded. Sango relaxed fractionally as Kagome bought the excuse. "Days of rain and overcast skies. And then there's the snow. Ugh." Kagome made a face.

Sango was saved from having to make any more conversation by the arrival of Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi.

"Where's your dog, Kagome?" Yuka asked.

"Demon? Home, I guess." Kagome made a vague motion in the general direction of the shrine.

"How did you convince him not to follow you?" Eri looked skeptical that Kagome's dog had stayed home for once like he was supposed to. Every day the dog showed up at the school, sometimes lurking, and sometimes openly. Everyone knew who the dog looked to and Kagome was told in no uncertain terms that either she controlled her pet or he would be taking a one-way trip to doggy prison.

Kagome's expression turned positively evil. "I just informed him that if he got me in trouble at school one more time, I would tie his cute little ears in a knot." She paused. "That would be after I dyed his fur bubblegum pink."

"And he listened to you?" Yuka sounded like she wasn't sure if she should believe Kagome or not.

"I think Demon is smarter than he looks. I don't know why, but I feel that insulting his masculinity would be the worst thing anybody could do to him. At least he stayed put when I left this morning."

"Whatever works, I guess." Ayumi shrugged indifferently.

Kagome's grin faded and she twisted to look over her shoulder into the copse of trees on the other side of the yard. Sango's scalp prickled and her breathing came quicker as she followed Kagome's gaze. Was there someone watching them?

"Why are you staring into the trees, Kagome?" Eri turned to peer into the shadows, before looking at Kagome with a puzzled glance. "Do you see something?"

Sango tensed as the sense of being watched grew stronger. She was about to urge her new friends to go inside when the feeling subsided.

Kagome shook her head as if coming out of a daze. "I must be imagining things," she muttered, half to herself. "That annoying dog is starting to make me paranoid."

"Did you say something, Kagome?" Ayumi looked up from digging in her backpack for some item.

"No, no, it was nothing." To Sango's ears, Kagome's voice sounded doubtful.

The morning bell suddenly rang, causing the yard to empty as if by magic. Ayumi frowned and tapped the watch on her wrist. "We'd better go. My mom would kill me if I got detention for being late."

Sango cast one more look at the trees before following the other girls into the building.

The shadowy figure watched the door swing shut before slipping away as silently as he had arrived.

* * *

The sullen, gray sky matched Sango's mood perfectly. Today for gym they ran around the track and the teachers timed how long it took them to complete a certain amount of laps. Sango normally enjoyed gym because it reminded her of happier times. But she made the mistake of completing their timed run not only faster than any of the girls, but also faster than any of the boys. 

Now her standing at school was violent, antisocial freak.

The teachers were impressed and tried to talk her into trying out for the track team. At least she remembered to curb her abilities when it came to the gymnastics part of the class. Even if it went against everything she had been taught to deliberately stumble after a basic jump.

She was barely aware of Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi splitting off to head to their own houses, leaving only her and Kagome.

"I don't see why Kagome wants to hang around with her. She's too weird." Sango kept her eyes on the pavement, ignoring the whisper and the way it made her eyes sting with repressed tears.

She was stopped by a hand on her wrist. Startled out of her melancholy thoughts, Sango instinctively jerked her arm free. Training took over as she settled into a slight crouch, reaching automatically for something that wasn't there.

"What is wrong with you?" Kagome's irritated voice, shadowed with concern, made her aware of her surroundings again. Trying to make it look natural, she straightened and turned the reach into a somewhat awkward smoothing of her short school skirt.

"I'm fine, Kagome. Why do you ask?"

"You've been acting weird all day. If I didn't know better, I would swear that you were expecting a fight. You can't solve all of your problems by fighting, you know."

--FLASHBACK--

_"Run, Sango! Get out of here while you can!" The crackling of the flames licked along the shingles. A window exploded outward into razor- sharp shards of molten glass._

_"No, Father! I won't leave you! Let me help!" Roiling clouds of black smoke billowed up from the burning house. Her small hands scrubbed away tears as the acrid smoke stung her eyes._

_"You _must_ go! If he finds the information he seeks then all will be lost! I must stay to help our friends and family!" Strong arms pulled her into a rough hug. "Remember your duty! And know that I am so proud of you!"_

_Sango tried to follow, but the intense heat drove her back. She searched the burning wreckage for a familiar form._

_"Father! Father!" _

--END FLASHBACK--

"Sango, are you okay?" She came back to herself to find Kagome gripping her arms and shaking her gently.

"I'm fine." Her words came out more harshly than intended. Sango took several deep, steadying breaths, trying to anchor herself in the here and now. Everything was fine. What was in the past should remain in the past.

She half turned to apologize to Kagome for her snappy temper and walked into someone. Her reflexes were good enough to prevent her from falling. Arms came around her as the person attempted to steady her. Sango felt her face turning red as she registered hands on a certain part of her anatomy, and it wasn't with embarrassment.

"PERVERT!" She yelled. Miroku didn't duck fast enough and reeled back a few steps sporting a bright red handprint on his cheek.

"Is that any way to greet a friend, lovely Sango," Miroku whined, rubbing the tender flesh.

"I am not your friend," Sango growled. "My friends do not have the habit of grabbing my ass."

Miroku opened his mouth to defend himself, but stopped when he got a good look at the expression on her face. He blinked nervously.

"How are you today, Lady Kagome?" He turned to the other girl, obviously not willing to challenge Sango's uncertain temper.

"Fine." Kagome kept her eyes on Miroku's hands, but he seemed content to behave himself for now. He bent over to pick up the staff he had dropped when he grabbed Sango.

"What are you up to?" Sango demanded.

"What makes you think I'm up to anything?" Miroku attempted to look innocent. Sango didn't buy it for an instant. Finally, he looked away and coughed to clear his throat. "I thought that we could get to know each other."

"And why would I want to do that?" Sango crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the monk.

"Come on, Lady Sango." Miroku's voice turned wheedling. "I'm really a very nice guy once you get to know me."

"I know more about you than I want to." Sango retorted.

"I'm very complex," Miroku pressed. "Just one date, and if you still think I'm totally repulsive then I will never bother you again." He smiled charmingly. "I'll have you know that 'no' is not in my vocabulary. I can be very persistent until I get the answer I want."

"What do you think, Kagome?" Sango ignored Miroku for the moment in favor of getting an opinion from her friend.

Kagome looked flustered to be the sudden focus of their attention. "Well, one date couldn't hurt, I guess. But I don't think you should be alone with him."

"All right." Sango turned back to Miroku. "I'll go out with you on one condition."

Miroku wore a confident smirk that said he knew she couldn't resist him forever. Sango restrained herself from smacking him just for being so damned annoying. "Anything for you, Lady Sango. And what would that condition be?"

"Find a date for Kagome. She'll be coming with us."

Kagome spluttered in shock. "Me?" she squeaked.

Miroku's look turned speculative. He stared at Kagome as if sizing her up. "No problem. I have the perfect guy for Lady Kagome."

Kagome tried to protest, but Sango was already nodding. "Acceptable. When and where?"

Miroku was already walking away, but he turned around to answer Sango. She didn't know how he managed to keep walking and not bump into anything. "Saturday night. At the arcade after sunset. You won't regret it, lovely Sango."

Sango scowled and shouted after him, "Keep those wandering hands in check and I won't have to make you regret ever meeting me."

Finally, Kagome was able to interject a comment. "Why did you agree to go out with him? And why did you drag me into it?"

Sango shrugged. She stared in the direction of the departing monk. "I've dealt with his kind before. This is the quickest and least painful way."

Kagome frowned. "Don't you think going on a date with him will only encourage him?"

"Maybe." Sango shrugged again. "But like I said, I've dealt with his kind before and I can handle him."

"Isn't that your house?" Kagome seized on the opportunity to change the subject and pointed to the large building set a ways off the main road. A woman stood on the front porch, briskly wielding a broom in the fight against falling leaves. She looked up, shading her eyes against the rays of the sun.

"Sango, it's about time you got home," the woman's cheerful voice called. "We were starting to get worried. Thought you might have gotten into a spot of trouble again."

"Who's that?" Kagome whispered. "Is that your mother?" Sango hunched her shoulders and didn't answer. Kagome followed her up the wooden stairs leading to the porch, too curious now to leave even though Sango was obviously uncomfortable.

"Is this a friend of yours?" The woman leaned the broom against the side of the house and walked forward to clasp Kagome's hands in a firm grip. "See, I told you that you would make a friend. You just need to relax and be yourself. What's your name, dear?"

It took a moment for Kagome to realize that the woman had asked her a question. "It's Kagome, ma'am." She tried without success to free her hands from the woman's hold.

"I'm sorry I was late, Mrs. Suri." Sango pulled Kagome back, her voice low and soft.

Mrs. Suri put her hands on her hips and mock-glared at Sango. "Now what did I tell you, young lady?"

A slight shudder ran through Sango's body. Only Kagome seemed to notice it as Sango continued to withdraw farther into herself. "Sorry, Mom," she mumbled.

Mrs. Suri beamed. "That's much better." She turned back to Kagome. "We've been trying to help Sango fit in. To help her deal with her loss."

"Loss?" Kagome echoed and then could have kicked herself as she remembered the look in Sango's eyes whenever family was mentioned.

"The poor dear lost everyone in a terrible fire two years ago." Mrs. Suri reached out and patted Sango on the shoulder with what she thought was a comforting gesture. "We're afraid she's been rather traumatized. Used to claim that the fire was deliberate. Of course, the investigation proved that the cause was faulty wiring. I think that Sango understands that now."

From the look on Sango's face, Kagome felt that she did not believe one word. She was just better at hiding her convictions.

"No one else survived?" She forced the question out, horror warring with pity in her voice.

"Just Sango." Mrs. Suri sighed and turned another fond look on her charge.

"And Kohaku." Sango's voice was so soft that Kagome almost didn't hear it.

"Now, dear," Mrs. Suri began in the voice of someone who has said the same thing more times than she wants, "you must accept that your little brother is dead."

"Nobody ever found a body," Sango insisted, meeting and holding Mrs. Suri's eyes with her own.

Mrs. Suri's voice took on an impatient edge. "You must stop telling yourself these stories. No wonder you can't make any friends."

"Kohaku's alive! I know it!" After that last little outburst, Sango brushed past Mrs. Suri without even a goodbye to Kagome. The door slammed shut behind her as she disappeared into the house.

Mrs. Suri stared after her, a surprised expression on her face. "I don't know what's gotten into that girl. And after everything my husband and I have done for her. Taking her into our family and treating her like our own. You'd think she would show a bit more gratitude." She grabbed her broom and began to sweep the porch with short, angry strokes.

Kagome backed up with a hurried goodbye, turned, and fled down the stairs. Suddenly she couldn't wait to be home.

"So long, dear," Mrs. Suri called after her. "Don't be a stranger."

* * *

Inuyasha, or Demon as he was currently called, waited impatiently at the top of the steps leading to the shrine. It didn't bother him that the old man went out of his way to stand a few feet away about once an hour and chant his silly incantations -- as long as the chanting wasn't accompanied by those worthless ofudas. 

He resisted the urge to go charging down the stairs, and confined himself to checking the position of the sun once again. Watching the clock, he had learned, was not practical. His eyes focused differently than they did when he was human and made trying to puzzle out numbers or letters too damn time consuming.

_Where is she?_ Demon growled, drawing a suspicious look from the old man who happened to be passing by again. It was lucky that he didn't stop to chant this time. The dog, not possessed of an incredible store of patience in the first place, probably would have given into his baser instincts and bitten him.

Stupid girl and her stupid rules. She threatened to dye his fur pink if he followed her to school again! Pink, of all things! Somehow, when she was glaring into his eyes and slapping that bottle of hair dye against her thigh, he didn't doubt that she would carry through with her threat. He wasn't entirely sure if a dye job would transfer over to his human form, but decided against taking any chances.

Miroku agreed to keep an eye on her. He'd probably do anything to be able to be near enough to ogle a bunch of teenage girls in those short skirts all of them wore. At least he didn't ask why. It was hard enough to keep his dignity as a dog; he didn't want to spend days or weeks looking like some rich lady's pampered poodle, complete with hair bows and dyed fur.

He pricked his ears at the sound of feet on the sidewalk. Many people walked by at all hours of the day, but he knew Kagome's step beyond a shadow of a doubt. Kagome trudged up the stairs, wearing a thoughtful expression on her face. Demon let out a low growl as he caught a whiff of the monk. The scent was faint, which reassured Demon that at least Miroku hadn't touched her. It would be a lot stronger if he had. And then he would have to bite his lecherous friend.

She neared the top of the stairs, and he cursed himself for being so distracted with her scent that he was still lying there looking like a faithful lapdog waiting for his mistress to come home. All he cared about was getting her to kiss him on the next new moon and finally breaking the curse. And then he would be free and Kagome could run in front of all the trucks she wanted to.

"Hi, Mom. I'm home." Kagome opened the front door, pausing in the entryway to remove her shoes. Demon carefully stretched and indulged in a good long scratch before rising to all four paws and meandering in the general direction of the door.

Checking to be sure no one was watching, he reared up against the door and scrabbled with his front paws at the smooth handle until there was a click and the door popped open. Faint conversation came from the direction of the kitchen where Kagome was most likely getting an after-school snack.

"That's wonderful, dear. I told you all that studying would pay off." Mrs. Higurashi's voice drifted out to Demon's ears.

"Yeah. But I still have to do better if I want to get into a good school. Hey, Mom, is it okay if I go out on Saturday night?" Demon's ears flipped forward at those words and he started to creep closer in order to hear better. One of the rules that had been quickly drilled into him was that he was not allowed in the kitchen. Grandpa complained about dog hair in the food and everyone else agreed. Demon grumbled to himself. The stupid cat was allowed in the kitchen, and nobody complained about the blizzard of cat hairs that the fat animal shed everywhere he went.

"It's okay with me as long as your homework is done before then. Who's the lucky guy?"

"Hey, Demon!" Demon almost fell over as Souta came barreling around a corner and tackled him. He bit back a growl. Kagome's little brother was the only one who really wanted him here. If he started growling at the brat or threatening to bite him, then he could kiss his chances with Kagome goodbye. It would be ten times harder to get close to the girl if he was no longer living in her house.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, boy! Do you want to play fetch? My friend Satoru has a book on dog training and he offered to help. You're a smart dog and I bet you'll learn to roll over and play dead in no time at all!"

Demon ignored the brat's rambling and tried to focus on the conversation taking place in the kitchen. Did Kagome already have a boyfriend? No. If she did, then he would have been able to smell another boy's scent all over her. The only scents on her were the kinds that happened with casual contact, nothing intimate. And Miroku would have told him. That was not the type of thing you could keep secret for long.

"... and he asked Sango out." Shit! He had already missed something. "Sango said that she would go only if I came too. We're meeting at the arcade Saturday night. I don't know who my date is yet."

"It sounds like fun, dear. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time."

Kagome left then to go upstairs and start her homework and Demon suffered himself to be led away by Souta. Satoru was waiting outside for them with a large book all about training your dog.

"The first thing we'll do," Satoru announced, "is teach him how to shake hands."

Demon rolled his eyes as the two brats began discussing the best way to train him. At least these lessons were being held on the same side of the house as Kagome's window. With a bit of maneuvering, he was able to keep an eye on the square of light that marked her bedroom and even glimpse her once or twice as she moved around. What he wouldn't give for a pair of binoculars. Not that he would ever dream of peeking or anything! He wasn't Miroku for gods' sakes! He just wanted to make sure she wasn't doing anything that she wasn't supposed to be doing.

"Demon, sit!" Souta commanded.

"He's already sitting," Satoru pointed out.

"Well that was easy." Souta peered over his friend's shoulder at the next set of instructions. "What's next?"

The next thirty minutes was an equal blend of frustrating and hilarious for Demon.

"Like this, Demon. Roll over!" Souta demonstrated rolling over again. Mrs. Higurashi wasn't going to be too happy about the grass stains on his shirt.

"He's not watching, Souta."

"Let's try this one again. Play dead!" Souta pointed his finger at Satoru. The boy obediently fell over and closed his eyes, letting his tongue hang out of his mouth.

"I think he went to sleep." Satoru rolled over and climbed to his feet, joining his friend in staring at the apparently sleeping dog.

"It's getting late," Satoru finally decided. "I'd better get going. We can try some more tomorrow. Bye, Souta!" He waved cheerfully and headed for home.

"Dinnertime, Souta!"

"Coming, Mom!" Souta gathered up his dog training supplies, which included toys and treats, before going inside.

Demon cracked open one eye and sighed. He thought they'd never leave. And just in time, too. The sun was fast disappearing below the horizon. Heaving himself to his paws, Demon sauntered in the direction of the well house. This was the perfect place for his nightly transformations. The scents surrounding it told him that nobody ever came here except for the fat cat. He would be safe from discovery.

If he had looked up, he would have seen Kagome in the process of closing her window before heading down to dinner. The girl frowned as she watched the animal disappear inside the structure. Was that where he went every evening? Maybe she should go downstairs and check it out?

"Dinnertime, Kagome! I made oden!"

Oden? Thoughts of the dog's whereabouts fled at the mention of her favorite food. The stupid dog probably had a bone hidden in there. It wasn't important.

"I'll be right there!" Kagome slid the window shut and left her room. If she had stayed just a few seconds longer, she might have seen the sullen red glow that leaked out of the entrance to the well house and the man who left the same way the dog had entered a moment later.

* * *

Kagome felt stupid. She felt incredibly, should-be-anywhere-but-here, stupid. Why did she agree to do this in the first place? 

"Face it Kagome," she muttered to herself. "You just never learned how to say no to a friend." She sighed and leaned down to adjust her sock. She just hoped that whoever Miroku conned into coming wouldn't be as much of a pervert as he was.

"Kagome?" The girl looked up at the sound of her name. Sango rushed forward to envelope her in a sudden hug. "Oh, thank you so much for coming. I know I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that. This really means a lot to me and--"

"It's okay," Kagome interrupted. Sango was verging on the point of babbling. She must be really nervous about her so-called date with Miroku. "We're friends. And friends help each other."

Sango drew back to study Kagome's face. Whatever she saw must have reassured her. She relaxed and smiled at her friend. "Yeah, we're friends."

"Who do you think Miroku will bring with him?" Kagome asked. The sun had already dipped below the horizon and she was tired of waiting. Why didn't boys ever show up to anything on time?

"I don't know." Sango shrugged and smoothed a wrinkle in the fabric of her slacks. She would be damned if she'd wear a skirt around Miroku. His hands wandered entirely too much and she refused to risk the temptation bare legs would probably give him. "If you're lucky, it will be somebody decent."

"Yeah." Kagome giggled. "I don't think I want to have to put up with another Miroku."

"Aw, ladies." A smooth voice slipped into their conversation. "It seems that you are right on time, a quality that I highly admire in my companions. And never fear, Lady Kagome, I didn't forget you. Allow me to present your date for the evening."

Kagome directed her attention to the figure standing beside the monk. Her eyes widened as they came in contact with molten gold.

"Inuyasha?"

* * *

I wonder how Kagome and Inuyasha will get along on their date. He only has a limited amount of time left. He'd better start acting nicer to Kagome if he wants her to ever kiss him. 

**Food for thought: **

Did you know that dolphins are so intelligent that within only a few weeks of captivity, they can train Americans to stand at the very edge of the pool and throw them fish?


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

Inuyasha locked eyes with the girl who dominated most of his thoughts. Those thoughts centered mainly on getting said girl to kiss him before time ran out. And so far he wasn't making much progress, considering he hadn't talked to her once in human form since that night. She was usually inside by dark and he wasn't quite desperate or stupid enough to knock on her front door. He had insulted her more than once and had a sneaking suspicion that her first instinct on seeing him again would be to throw something hard or sharp at him.

_I should have known._ Inuyasha ground his teeth and cursed himself for listening to any dating plan his best friend suggested. Miroku had refused to explain anything beyond that Sango wouldn't go out with him unless he provided a date for her friend. Being a little bit curious, but mostly bored, he decided to just go along with whatever get-the-girl scheme Miroku had come up with this time.

Without a single word to her, he pivoted to face the lecherous monk.

"No fucking way!" Inuyasha growled. Kagome narrowed her eyes and huffed in annoyance. Miroku cast her an apologetic glance.

"She's a nice girl, Inuyasha." Miroku planted the butt of his staff firmly on the ground and tried to radiate calm. But even Sango and Kagome could hear the wheedling tone in his voice.

"I don't care if she's a damn saint! I am going to deal with this my way!" Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, signaling an end to the argument.

Almost against his will, he kept a watch on Kagome out of the corner of his eye. She didn't look happy. Sango was frantically whispering something to her -- probably trying to keep her from just turning around and heading for home.

Miroku startled his friend by abruptly stepping forward and yanking Inuyasha toward him. "Time is slipping away," The monk hissed into Inuyasha's ear. "If you want to solve your little problem, then you are going to have to try things my way."

Inuyasha let his eyes linger on Kagome's irritated form. She did look mighty cute in that short green skirt and white sweater. This might not be too bad. He gritted his teeth and jerked his gaze away from appreciating the girl's body. Those types of thoughts would just lead to trouble. It's not like he was going to stick around after the curse was broken.

With a grunt of acknowledgement, he straightened and tried to plaster a pleasant expression on his face. Kagome, watching the interaction, just wondered if Inuyasha was about to be sick.

"Shall we go?" Miroku inquired.

"Go where?" Sango demanded suspiciously. "I thought we were going to play games at the arcade."

"Changed my mind. I'm hungry, so I thought we'd grab a bite to eat and then work off all that food by going for a walk."

Sango and Kagome exchanged dubious glances. Kagome shrugged slightly. Miroku might be a little too free with where he placed his hands and Inuyasha was just plain bad-tempered, but Kagome had a strong feeling that they could be trusted.

"I think there's a ramen stand a few blocks that way." Miroku pointed down the sidewalk with his staff. "Ramen is Inuyasha's favorite food," He confided in a loud whisper.

Shooting a warning glare at Miroku, Sango started walking in the direction indicated. Kagome lagged behind as she bent down to rub at a scuff mark on her shoe. Miroku caught Inuyasha's attention and jerked his head at Kagome. He waited for Inuyasha's reluctant nod before hurrying after Sango.

Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha waiting beside her, none to patiently.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked in some surprise.

"What does it look like?" Inuyasha barked back. "I'm waiting for you so we can get moving!"

"You didn't have to! I'm perfectly capable of walking a couple of blocks by myself!"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and mentally counted to ten before he said something that would really get him in trouble. Dealing with women had never been easy for him, but this one had him snapping at her with every other sentence. Couldn't his last hope have managed to be a little less irritating?

He bit back several less than flattering replies. "Fine!" It took several steps before he realized that she was not following. He turned to see Kagome still standing where he left her. "What are you waiting for, bitch? That ramen's not getting to my stomach any faster!"

Kagome glared before stomping down the sidewalk. Inuyasha fell in beside her, adjusting his stride to hers. Several steps passed without either one saying anything. Inuyasha watched as Kagome's shoulders relaxed and her body became less stiff. At least she no longer looked quite so angry with him.

Furrowing his brow, Inuyasha tried to remember Miroku's instructions. How was he supposed to get the girl interested in him? Or at least interested enough to want to kiss him? Miroku had a sure-fire plan that he was rather proud of. Of course, Miroku usually ended up getting slapped. He insisted that it was because he kept getting impatient and skipping vital steps.

"I'm sure that groping a girl's ass is part of the plan," Inuyasha had sarcastically commented.

"I admit that touching of that nature is one of the last steps," Miroku had agreed. "But I fear that my hands have a mind of their own and are not interested in following the plan."

The first step was to introduce yourself. Already done. Now, what was the next step? He glanced ahead to where Miroku was trying to engage Sango in conversation. That was it! Talk to the girl! Show her that you're interested in what she has to say.

"Why don't you like your dog?" Inuyasha internally winced. Real smooth. Well, maybe she would take him for an animal lover. Girls were suckers for guys who liked animals. "I mean, you didn't sound too fond of him that night you almost became road pizza."

Kagome shot him an annoyed glance. "God, what is with you and that stupid truck? I already thanked you for saving my pathetic little life. Drop it!" Just when she was beginning to think that he wasn't all bad, he had to go and open his mouth. "Demon's okay, I guess."

"You guess? What exactly is wrong with him?"

"Besides being stubborn, smelly, and just plain weird?" A hint of malicious humor glinted in Kagome's eyes. "He reminds me a lot of you. Are you sure he's not your long lost brother?"

Inuyasha's heart almost stopped at those words. There was no way in heaven or hell that she could have guessed! Still, her innocent remark cut way too close to the truth. As much as Kagome hated him as both human and dog, she would not let Demon remain in her house if she knew they were the same.

He had to gain her trust first. And a part of the rules for his curse that he had discovered several years back was that he was not allowed to tell anyone of his condition. He was physically unable to explain the curse to someone who didn't already know about it. Accidental discovery was okay, though.

Inuyasha almost growled at her response. It took great effort not to. The dog instincts took several hours to wear off each night after he turned human. Growling and showing his teeth were beginning to feel natural. "Very funny, bitch! Can't you answer a simple question?"

Kagome sighed. "If you must know, I had a bad experience with a dog when I was little." She gave him a sideways glance as if expecting some kind of derogatory comment. Inuyasha tried to look interested. "I was about five years old and very trusting. I didn't have very much experience with dogs, but the ones on TV always seemed so friendly. There was a big stray dog sniffing around our yard one morning. I walked up to him and grabbed his tail. The dog turned around and bit me. I still have the scar."

"Can you blame him? The tail is very sensitive!" Inuyasha's brain registered the words after it was already too late. Thinking furiously, he tried to come up with something to cover his lapse.

"I suppose you have personal experience with tails," Kagome responded sarcastically. "If it wasn't for the fact that Souta likes the little monster, I would never have let him stay even one night." Inuyasha heaved a purely internal sigh of relief. Kagome wasn't taking the tail remark seriously. Of course, he didn't like being called a monster, but his relief outweighed his annoyance for the moment.

"We're here," Miroku called out cheerfully.

Inuyasha looked up in surprise. He had been so busy talking with Kagome that he hadn't been paying attention to where they were going.

"Finally!" Kagome darted past him to link arms with Sango. "Let's find a table while the boys order."

"I am not your personal fucking slave, bitch!" Inuyasha shouted after them.

Miroku laid a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Calm down. Showing a girl that you are willing to wait on her will help you earn her affection and trust. That will lead to kissing. And that will break the curse and then we can stop buying you flea collars."

"I don't have fleas," Inuyasha grumbled, but followed his best friend to the counter. Order for her, huh? A smirk twisted his lips. He wondered if she liked hot and spicy.

* * *

"That was wonderful!" Miroku smiled and patted his full stomach.

"Yeah," Kagome agreed. "How did you know that hot and spicy is my favorite kind, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha grumbled and slouched down the sidewalk, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Ignore him," Miroku advised. "He's just in a bad mood. Why don't we take a quick stroll through the park?"

"He doesn't seem to have any other moods," Sango observed, following Miroku into the park with the others close behind her. The meal had lulled her suspicions. They seemed like nice guys. And she was confident that she could take care of any trouble easily.

Inuyasha scowled at the asphalt beneath his feet. Anyone would be in a bad mood if they were in his position. They came to a place where the trail divided and he remembered another part of Miroku's plan.

Kagome squeaked when Inuyasha grabbed her wrist, dragging her in the other direction and away from Miroku and Sango. The small noise she made attracted Sango's attention.

"Kagome?" Sango looked over her shoulder to see Kagome and Inuyasha disappearing into the trees. "Where are you going?" She stopped and would have followed if Miroku hadn't placed his staff in front of her.

"They'll be okay." Miroku grinned his most charming grin. "They just need some time to get to know one another. And this will give us a chance to talk -- just talk -- and become better acquainted."

Sango eyed him warily. "As long as this doesn't involve your hands becoming better acquainted with my ass."

"You wound me, lovely Sango." Miroku managed to look offended. "To think that I would even consider--"

"You would," she said flatly.

Miroku rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "Well then, how about we just talk? What do you want to know about me?"

Resuming their stroll, Sango considered the question. "How long have you known Inuyasha?"

"All my life," Miroku answered promptly. "Don't be fooled by his prickly personality. He can be very, uh... one time he even... no, that was someone else... what I mean to say is he's... well... he's very loyal."

"You make him sound like a faithful pet. Like he's a dog or something."

"No, no," Miroku was quick to object. "He's not dog! He may be different, but he's all human. Most of the time," he added under his breath.

"O-kay. If you say so. What about you? Why did you decide to become a monk?"

Miroku shrugged. "My grandfather was a monk. And so was my father. It kind of runs in the family. And this way we'll be prepared. Lechery runs in the family, too." He grinned. "You should hear the stories Inuyasha tel-- I mean, Inuyasha's grandfather told about my grandfather Mushin."

A springy pine branch stretched across the path in front of them. There was a brief tussle as they fought over who was going to push it out of the way. Sango ducked under the branch and let go. Not anticipating this, Miroku got a face full of needles.

"What do you need to be prepared for?" she asked, trying not to laugh as Miroku picked pine needles out of his hair.

"Oh, you know, um, stuff," Miroku replied evasively. "A monk is always prepared. What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

Sango stopped laughing and her expression became guarded. "One. A younger brother."

"When do I get to meet him?"

"You don't."

Noticing the sudden rigid set to her shoulders, Miroku guessed that there were some painful memories there. "What happened?" He pressed gently.

"They said it was accidental." Sango's eyes were unfocused and she didn't seem to realize he was still there. "That the wiring was faulty. But it wasn't! Everything was up to code!"

Miroku nearly bit his tongue to keep from interrupting. Part of him wanted to tell her that she didn't have to continue if it was painful for her. A larger part of him was on fire with curiosity. What happened in Sango's past? And the small seldom-used enlightened part of him felt that the memory had been repressed for too long and it would do her good to get it out.

"I know that the fire was deliberate," Sango continued, almost as if she was speaking to herself. "No one keeps watch during the annual gathering. Everyone was present, down to the youngest child. No one survived." She stopped, shaking her head ruefully. "Except for me. And Kohaku. Everyone tells me that he is dead. But his body was never found. I know in my heart that my little brother is alive! And the one who murdered my family and stole my brother from me will pay!"

"Who?" Miroku breathed, afraid of asking too loudly and snapping her out of her trance. Who could be responsible for reducing the lovely and capable Sango to an emotional wreck?

"Naraku."

"What?" Miroku yelped, startling several birds into crossly protesting the interruption of their sleep. "Are you sure?"

Sango frowned in an annoyed sort of way, focusing all of her attention on him. "Of course I'm sure. My family has been dealing with Naraku and those who came before him for a long time. Do you know of him?"

"Let's just say that Inuyasha and I have crossed paths with Naraku a time or two and the experience was not mutually gratifying." Sango's words shook Miroku deeper than he wanted to admit. Just what could Naraku have wanted from Sango's family that he would go to such lengths to destroy them? "Did you ever find out what he wanted?" Miroku ventured hesitantly. Maybe he could learn something useful.

"He wanted information," Sango admitted reluctantly. "Of a rare jewel that used to be in our keeping."

Miroku stiffened slightly. Could it be? For generations, there had been only one jewel that the members of the black spider gang were interested in. Deliberately, he tried to relax and look only mildly interested. "It must be worth a lot." Miroku swallowed and forced the next question past suddenly dry lips. "Is it a diamond?"

"No, nothing like that. As far as I know, it's a one-of-a-kind. The jewel's been missing for almost fifty years, but I guess he thought that we might know where it is located. We don't know what happened to it and, even if we did, Father would never tell anything to someone such as Naraku. That bastard didn't take kindly to being refused." Sango gave a bark of laughter that sounded suspiciously like a sob. "I've spent my entire life training and studying all that is known about the jewel. In the wrong hands it could be quite dangerous."

_Please, no. Oh, kami, let me be wrong_. "Did this one-of-a-kind jewel have a name?"

"Father called it the Shikon no Tama."

* * *

Too surprised to resist at first, Kagome let Inuyasha drag her away from Miroku and Sango. By the time she decided that it probably wasn't a good idea to be alone in a semi-deserted park with a guy she didn't know very well, the others were out of sight.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kagome dug in her heels and jerked her wrist out of Inuyasha's grasp.

"Nothing!" Inuyasha snapped back defensively. "Miroku said--"

"So, this is all Miroku's idea." Kagome fumed for a moment. She should have expected something like this from the perverted monk. And after she had insisted that Sango not be alone with him.

Inuyasha reached out and grabbed the back of her sweater when she would have marched back to find the other couple. She squirmed but he was much stronger than she was.

"Let me go, jerk!" Kagome tried to kick him and lost her balance. Inuyasha immediately released his hold on her sweater to grab her arms instead, turning her to face him.

"Calm down, bitch!" His fingers flexed around her upper arms as if he was fighting the urge to shake some sense into her. "They'll be fine. Miroku may be a pervert, but he would never deliberately hurt a woman."

Kagome stopped struggling and just glared at him for a few minutes. Inuyasha's angry golden gaze met hers without flinching. He shifted his grip to something less likely to bruise the flesh, but didn't let go.

Slowly, the two began to notice how close they were standing and how Inuyasha's hold on Kagome's arms was beginning to resemble something more intimate. The young man's eyes softened with puzzlement as conflicting emotions flickered across Kagome's face. Inuyasha felt the strongest urge right then to protect this girl from anything that might dim the innocence in her eyes.

An owl called directly overhead. Instantly they sprang apart, regaining the much-needed personal space plus several feet more.

"Maybe we should keep walking?" Kagome carefully brushed non- existent dirt off of her skirt, avoiding Inuyasha's eyes.

"Sure," Inuyasha agreed, intently studying the pattern of pine needles at his feet. "The path rejoins about a mile that way." He gestured vaguely with one hand. "We can meet up with the others there." Still without looking directly at Kagome, he started walking. Kagome uttered an annoyed exclamation and scurried after him.

"You seem to know a lot about this park?" she ventured after the strained silence become too uncomfortable to bear.

"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted. "I know everything about this city!"

"Did you grow up around here?" Kagome caught a flash as Inuyasha smirked at her. How weird. His eyes glowed almost like Buyo's did at night when they caught the moonlight or a flashlight was aimed at him.

"You could say that." Inuyasha tilted his head back to catch sight of the moon as it emerged from behind a cloud. The wretched thing was approaching its fullest point. It would be weeks before it dwindled to nothing.

"Do your parents still live in the area?"

Inuyasha ground his teeth. What was with all the personal questions? He was supposed to be getting to know her, not the other way around.

"They're dead," Inuyasha informed her brusquely. He didn't bother looking at her to see the sympathetic expression that he was sure she was wearing. "And before you get all weepy, it was a long time ago."

"Oh."

There was merciful silence for a long moment. Inuyasha tried to think of something witty or profound that would take her mind off of his past and steer it onto safer subjects. He considered randomly insulting her again, remembering how her eyes lit up with fire when she was mad at him.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Too late. The idiot girl already asked another stupid question.

"One asshole of an older brother." Inuyasha snuck a look at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked genuinely interested. "Actually, he was my half-brother. He's dead too, thank god. What's with all the lame questions? This is starting to feel like an interrogation."

Kagome jerked like he had slapped her. Inuyasha turned to face her when he realized that she had stopped walking. Her spine was ramrod straight, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. He felt himself getting defensive and she hadn't said anything yet, though he did notice that her eyes were blazing with that inner fire they got when she was pissed.

"You are such a jerk, Inuyasha!" Kagome blinked hard against the furious tears she could feel pricking the backs of her eyes. "I try to carry on a conversation and you accuse me of being nosy. And when I don't say anything, you want to know why I'm ignoring you. Make up your mind! What do you want?"

"I don't want to talk about me!" Inuyasha yelled. Stung by her tone, he shouted out things that he would rather not have told anybody. "My past is mine and I choose to keep it that way! When you need to know something, then I'll tell you! So, stop being a pushy, know-it-all, self-centered bitch!"

"That's rich coming from you, Inuyasha!" Kagome glared at him, relaxing her jaw only through a supreme act of will. Her dentist wouldn't appreciate the damage she was doing to her teeth.

"Well, well," a mocking voice cooed from out of the darkness. "What do we have here? It looks like a lover's spat. What do you say, Brother Manten?"

A man, wearing his long dark hair in a braid, stepped out from under the shadow of the trees. His cold eyes studied first the girl before turning to her companion.

"I agree, Brother Hiten." A hideously obese man, his paunch spilling over the waistband of his pants in rolls of flab, emerged to stand beside his brother. Moonlight glinted off his bald pate. "Perhaps the wench would prefer to come home with us?"

Inuyasha immediately forgot that Kagome was the most irritating person on the face of the earth and positioned himself protectively in front of her. His eyes flickered to the sides as more figures became visible until they were surrounded by roughly half a dozen.

"Keep your filthy hands off of her!" Inuyasha growled, forgetting for the moment that he was human, and baring his teeth in a threatening manner.

The brothers broke out in ugly laughter, their gang joining them in their mirth. "And what are you going to do, puppy," Hiten jeered. "Bite me and give me rabies?"

Inuyasha stiffened, his already aroused blood coming to a full boil. Now that was one insult too many! He charged the nearest brother. Hiten spat out a curse as he dodged nimbly out of the way. Moonlight flashed on the blade of the knife he pulled out of its hiding place.

The sight of steel made Inuyasha pause for only a moment. He rushed forward, turning so that his shoulder slammed into the thug and ignoring the streak of pain as the knife slashed his arm. Hiten grunted as the impact with Inuyasha's body drove him back into the nearest tree.

Inuyasha fought to hold Hiten in place, grappling to wrest the knife from his grasp and make the fight a little more even. Hiten brought his knee up into Inuyasha's groin, causing the young man to gasp and his hold to loosen slightly. The next kick sent Inuyasha reeling away from the thug. Before he could fully recover, Hiten was there and using his blade to slash at Inuyasha's chest.

This was the first time Inuyasha blessed the curse that made his life a living nightmare as he twisted. His speed and strength had greatly increased in the years spent living as a dog during the day. Because of this, Hiten continuously underestimated his opponent's ability to react. The tip of the knife left only a shallow cut instead of the deep slash that probably would have seriously hampered his ability to fight back.

But all of these thoughts were driven out of Inuyasha's head when he heard Kagome scream. He jerked his head around to see that Manten had a firm grip on Kagome's hair and was leering at her in a way that was not comforting. The rest of the gang, conditioned to not interfere with their leader's battles, were much more interested in the fun they could have with the wench. Inuyasha's brief lapse was all the opening Hiten needed.

Liquid fire ran down Inuyasha's back from the point where the blade entered at his shoulder to where it exited midway down his back. He howled with agony and rage. In a much faster move than he should have been capable of, Inuyasha whirled back to face Hiten. He struck, forcing Hiten to stumble backwards bleeding from a broken nose, and sending the knife spinning into the darkness. Another punch sent Hiten crashing to the ground where he lay moaning. That was one bully who wouldn't be bothering anyone for awhile.

Other members of the gang, who had been content to leave the fight to their leader, drew their own weapons and converged on Inuyasha. Manten didn't need their help to subdue a little girl. If they were lucky, she would still be alive later and they could have a little fun after the brothers were finished.

One man raised his length of pipe to bring down on Inuyasha's head. He figured that bashing in Inuyasha's skull would be the quickest way to deal with this annoyance. The thug never got the chance. A staff met the top of his head and he toppled to the ground, unconscious.

"Who's next?" Miroku brandished his staff in front of him. Sango crouched slightly next to him, her eyes warily scanning the gang members.

"It's a good thing we heard Kagome's scream," Sango commented, shifting her weight onto the balls of her feet. "And perfect timing. I was itching for something to hit."

"After you, lady Sango." Miroku swept his staff in a short arc, noting that Inuyasha was bleeding, but didn't seem to be in need of immediate aid.

The remaining members of the gang, made cocky by the fact that they outnumbered their opponents, wasted no time in attacking. Inuyasha watched the thugs getting trounced and made a mental note to never make Sango mad. That girl could fight!

Manten pressed Kagome harder against the tree, blissfully unaware that the advantage was no longer theirs. He licked his lips and leered at her.

"My brother may have gotten all the looks in the family," he tightened his hold on her hair when she tried to flinch away from him, "but he promised that I could have you first. You should feel lucky. My brother is rather hard on his toys and they never survive for long. I am much gentler."

"Get your smelly fish-breath out of my face!" Kagome jerked futilely and hissed at renewed pain in her scalp. "Inuyasha will save me! And then you'll wish you'd never been born!"

Manten laughed. "Your precious Inuyasha is already dead! Brother Hiten never loses a fight!" Kagome's eyes widened as she caught sight of something behind Manten.

"Are you sure about that?" a low voice growled. Manten whipped around just in time to catch Inuyasha's fist in his face. Kagome yelped as Manten's fingers were forcefully pulled from her hair, taking several hanks with them.

Manten, with a low tolerance for pain and much more of a coward than his brother, howled in agony. Several bodies lay groaning or otherwise incapacitated on the ground. Those who were able had already fled. Hiten pulled himself to his knees, dripping blood from his nose.

Manten rushed to his fallen brother and looped Hiten's arm around his shoulders. Staggering under the weight, Manten half carried half dragged Hiten away from the site of their humiliating defeat as quickly as possible.

"Inuyasha!"

"Kagome!"

Sango and Miroku hurried over to the pair, identical looks of concern lining their faces.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" Sango gripped her friend's arm, examining her for any injuries.

"I'm okay, Sango." Kagome rubbed her poor scalp and winced at the tenderness that remained. "Thanks to Inuyasha."

"Feh! Just a bunch of common bullies. Hardly even a challenge."

"Well, those bullies had knives and clubs. Are you sure you're okay?" Kagome stepped closer and laid her hand gently on Inuyasha's arm. This close, she couldn't miss the shudder that ran through Inuyasha's body or the slight stickiness under her fingers.

"You're hurt!" Kagome pulled his arm into the moonlight, showing the long tear in his shirt and the glistening of what could only be blood.

"It's just a scratch," Inuyasha insisted, trying to pull out of her grasp.

Sango gasped. "Your back's bleeding badly! We should get you to a doctor."

"I'm fine!" Inuyasha backed up and tripped over a root.

"Stop being so stubborn, Inuyasha!" Kagome's fingers went to the buttons of his shirt. "We need to stop the bleeding! Just take off your shirt and let me help you!"

"Will you get off of me, bitch?" Inuyasha bucked in an effort to dislodge the girl on top of him and hissing in pain as his injured back came in contact with the ground.

"Not until you take off your shirt!"

"Beg me!"

Miroku watched the exchange calmly. "I didn't realize Kagome was quite so aggressive."

Sango, cheeks burning, slapped Miroku on the back of the head. "Not everyone is a pervert like you, Miroku!" Rubbing the throbbing bump, he cast her a reproachful look.

Kagome succeeded in pushing Inuyasha's shirt off of his shoulders. She pulled his arm towards her and frowned. Only smooth skin met her questing fingertips. Leaning closer to him, she ran her hand over his shoulder and down his back. An angry redness could be seen in the moonlight, but not the wound she had been expecting to see.

Inuyasha shivered as her fingers ran lightly over his skin. His heart sped up and his breathing changed. Somehow he doubted it had anything to do with the fight.

Kagome paused in her explorations when she felt an arm wrap around her waist and press her closer to Inuyasha's toned chest. She glanced down to see him regarding her with a heat that sent strange feelings coursing through her body to settle in the pit of her stomach.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered.

Her voice broke whatever spell had been cast. Inuyasha froze like a deer caught in the headlights before violently pushing her away from him. Kagome yelped, her rear hitting the hard ground with a thump.

"I told you I was okay." Inuyasha scrambled to his feet, pulling his shirt back into place and fastening the buttons. "Let's get out of here."

Miroku hurried to catch up with his friend. "I told you that pretending to get hurt was a guaranteed way of winning a lady's affections."

"Shut up, monk! It wasn't like that! That bastard got me pretty good a couple of times but, thanks to this stupid curse, I heal a lot faster than a normal human."

Making a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat, Miroku merely nodded with a knowing glint in his eye. Inuyasha snorted and ignored his friend the rest of the way back.

The remainder of the walk passed in silence, each one busy with his or her own thoughts. It was almost a shock when they reached Sango's house. Inuyasha and Kagome waited on the sidewalk while Miroku insisted on walking Sango to her front door.

They could see Miroku talking to Sango and it wasn't hard to guess what he was saying. Sango shook her head firmly and turned to go into the house. Miroku, who had behaved himself all evening, couldn't resist anymore.

"PERVERT!"

Miroku sauntered back to Inuyasha and Kagome sporting a bright red handprint on his cheek and a satisfied expression.

"I think she likes me," He cheerfully informed them. Inuyasha rolled his eyes while Kagome merely shook her head.

They walked until they came to the Higurashi shrine. Kagome started up the stairs that led to her home. With a sigh, Inuyasha followed her. He would be glad when the date from hell was finally over.

"Remember what I told you," Miroku hissed after him.

"Hey, bitch!" Inuyasha's voice stopped her as she was putting her key in the lock. "Isn't this where you're supposed to say that you had a good time?"

Kagome turned to face him. Inuyasha took a nervous step back at the sudden fire in her eyes. "Between your insults and the gang attack I don't think this qualifies as a good time."

"Like that was my fault! You should thank me for getting your worthless hide home in one piece!"

"Really? It seems like every time I see you I almost get killed! Can't you do anything normal that doesn't involve insulting me or putting my life in danger?"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth, any euphoria gained from defeating the two brothers quickly evaporating. What was it about this girl that caused her to get under his skin so fast? "Fine! Since you don't think I can do anything normal, then you won't mind if I do this!" Reaching out and grabbing Kagome, Inuyasha jerked her towards him and slammed his lips down on top of hers.

There was no passion in the kiss; too much anger existed for that. Taken by surprise, Kagome felt it only as a harsh pressure. Before she could gather her scattered wits, Inuyasha released her.

Panting heavily, the two stared at each other. Inuyasha felt himself calming at the shocked look on Kagome's face. That would show the bitch! Exactly what it would show her wasn't real clear.

Kagome's anger returned quickly. How dare that overbearing, egotistical man steal her first kiss! She should have bitten him, or kicked him. Too late now.

"See you later, bitch." Inuyasha smirked, all confidence restored. He shoved his hands into his pockets and sauntered down the steps to where Miroku was waiting to find out how the end of the date went.

Fuming, Kagome stared after his retreating form. She licked her lips, still able to taste him. A smirk, almost a copy of Inuyasha's, graced her face. That man should know better than to tangle with Kagome Higurashi. She would make him regret ever having met her.

* * *

A/N: And the plot continues to thicken. Wonder what'll happen when Sango finds out that Inuyasha has the jewel in his possession that her family was murdered to try and find. And Inuyasha is starting to show his protective side where Kagome is concerned. But he'd better look out. She wants to make him suffer for that kiss he stole from her.

**Food for thought: **

The early bird gets the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

Kagome woke much earlier than she had planned, having forgotten to close the curtains when she went to bed. She groaned and pulled a pillow over her face to block out the annoyingly cheerful early morning sunlight. But something kept her from falling back asleep. In exasperation, she pushed the pillow away. It fell off the bed to hit the floor with a soft thump. Rolling over to retrieve the pillow, she came face to face with a pair of large golden eyes. 

She yelped and jerked her body away from the dog. Already being in an awkward stretch as she fumbled for the pillow, she overbalanced to land in a heap on the floor. Most of the blankets came with her.

"Demon!" Kagome yelled. "What are you doing in here?" Demon continued to stare at her with that unnervingly direct yellow stare. She made shooing motions at him. "Why don't you go play with Souta?"

Demon twitched one ear, the only sign that he heard her. Kagome glared at him. Dog and girl held a brief staring contest until, irritated, Kagome untangled the covers and climbed to her feet. She looked over to see Demon watching her with his mouth open in a silly canine grin.

"Stop laughing at me!" Kagome stomped her foot, too annoyed and half-asleep to wonder why she was yelling at a dumb animal. Demon yawned and lay down, head up, gold eyes watching her intently.

"Stupid mutt," she muttered under her breath and flounced out of the room in the direction of the bathroom.

She pondered the weird behavior of the dog as she began her morning routine. There was just something creepy about the way he was always watching her. It was unnatural.

Firmly shoving Demon out of her thoughts, Kagome slipped into the large tub full of hot water. Letting her mind drift in a state of pleasant non-thinking, she found herself remembering her "date" and the rude, annoying jerk she was forced to spend the better part of the evening with. Her shoulders tensed just thinking about him. He didn't have one nice thing to say all night! Then he had to go and kiss her, just like he had the right to!

Kagome deliberately uncurled the hands she had clenched into fists and forced her shoulders to relax. She sighed. The least he could have done was ask. He was kind of cute, with that long black hair and unusual golden eyes. That almost made up for his complete lack of manners.

Kagome frowned in frustration. Why couldn't she get him out of her head? He insulted her and violated her personal space. There had to be some way to teach Inuyasha that Kagome Higurashi was not the type of girl to roll over and play dead for the first cute boy to kiss her.

The water was cooling off. Her body was clean even if her thoughts were still going around in circles. Climbing out of the tub, she rinsed and discovered another minor point of annoyance. All of her clean clothes were still in her room.

She wrapped a fluffy towel around herself and stuck her head into the hallway. The coast was clear. Not that she normally minded her family seeing her clad in only a towel, but she vaguely remembered her mother mentioning something about Souta having a friend over. It had been late enough the night before that her mother had already sent both of them to Souta's room, so she hadn't seen either of them. Faint sounds drifted up the stairs, proof that the rest of the family was elsewhere. Dashing the short distance to her room, she slipped inside and shut the door.

Kagome ran the fingers of one hand through her wet tresses, using the other one to hold the towel up. A strangled sound reached her ears. She glanced around to find Demon sitting in the middle of the room where she had left him. While she watched, a look of panic crept into the dog's eyes.

"What is your problem, stupid mutt?" she said and dropped her towel.

Demon's eyes got impossibly wide. He jerked his head around and dove for the closest hiding place. His head and shoulders disappeared from view, his back paws scrabbling against the floor as he tried to force himself under the bed. Muffled whimpers and growls drifted back to her, sounding suspiciously like canine curses.

Kagome stared. "Demon?" The dog's body jerked convulsively and he managed to cram more of his bulk under the small bed. Would rabies make an animal behave like that?

Giving the bed and the quivering animal a wide berth, she selected clean clothing and got dressed. She sat at her desk and began to pull a hairbrush through her hair. Hair brushing can be hypnotic. By the time she set the brush down, she was feeling much calmer and Demon was no longer cowering under the bed. Instead, he was watching her with a wary expression in his eyes; as if he was wondering what she was going to do next.

Kagome looked at the textbooks lined up on her desk, made a face, and selected one. At least she had an apple and a bag of cheetos hidden in the back of her desk. She wouldn't have to go downstairs for food and have to deal with Souta and whatever little friend he brought home this time. Opening the math book, she pulled out a clean sheet of paper and resigned herself to a day of homework.

Minutes ticked by. She forgot about the dog in her room. All that existed was the book filled with barely comprehensible problems. She hardly even acknowledged her mother when she brought her something to eat around noon. Kagome nibbled the end of her pencil, staring at the lines of letters and numbers. She wrote something quickly with short neat strokes. Stopping to re-read her work, she muttered under her breath, and erased what she had just written.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong!" she complained out loud. "I hate math!"

A small sound caused her to look up. Demon had moved closer while she was preoccupied and was now almost near enough to touch. Kagome smiled nervously, eyeing the muzzle full of sharp teeth and remembering why she didn't like dogs. The dog didn't do anything and finally she turned her attention back to her math.

A cold, wet nose on the underside of her arm caused Kagome to drop her pencil. She squeaked and nearly fell off her chair. Placing one hand over her rapidly beating heart, she spun around to face the dog.

Demon stared at her, so close that she could feel the heat of each panting breath he took. Now that he had her full attention, he inched forward and touched his nose to her knee.

"What are you doing?" Kagome's voice came out in a breathy squeak as she waited for the animal to bite her kneecaps off. Demon glanced at her face before directing his gaze to the floor. He did this several times before sighing heavily, scooting forward, and placing his heavy head in her lap.

"Demon?"

Demon flicked his ears as if to say 'Well, do something!' Neither one moved for the longest time. The only sound in the room was the incessant ticking of the clock.

Hesitantly, Kagome reached out to touch one furry ear. It twitched away from her fingers. Striking her as funny for some reason, she giggled. This caused the dog to flatten both ears, a little growl rising in his throat.

"What's the matter, poor baby?" Kagome cooed. "Don't like being laughed at?" Because that was exactly what his growl sounded like, someone with little sense of humor when it came to involuntary responses.

Growing bolder, she applied both hands to scratching behind Demon's ears. The fur felt wonderfully soft under her fingers. She was fascinated by how the ear quivered when she ran a finger lightly around the edge. So absorbed was she in her task, that it took her awhile to notice the strange sound coming from the dog.

A rumbling growl vibrated in the throat pressed against her knee. It started soft, steadily growing louder as Kagome gained confidence and applied herself more vigorously to the ear scratching. Looking at Demon's face, she saw that his eyes had closed to mere slits and the pink tip of his tongue poked between his teeth.

"What a cool sound. Are you a happy puppy?" Demon's eyes snapped open and he twisted his head away from the scratching fingers.

Kagome laughed. "Don't be mad. I think it's cute." Demon turned his head away. Who would have thought a dog could be this sensitive? "Oh, is the puppy mad?"

Demon turned his head back far enough to look at the girl out of one golden eye. Kagome fought the urge to laugh again.

"You sure are in a funny mood today," she told him conversationally. "Usually you just sit and stare. What made you decide that you needed your ears scratched?" Demon ignored her, reaching up with one hind foot to scratch said ears.

"I've never seen a dog that gets offended as easily as you do." Demon yawned, pointedly ignoring her. "But then I never thought I would willingly get as close to a dog as I am now."

Kagome leaned back in her chair, stretching her legs out in front of her. "I had an interesting conversation with an egotistical jerk last night." That snagged Demon's attention. He narrowed his eyes, but she had tilted her head back to stare absently at the ceiling and didn't notice her rapt audience. "He sure seemed interested in how I was treating you. Wanted to know what I had against dogs. So I told him about the time I was bitten by a dog when I was little.

"Weird guy." Kagome sat up straight before leaning forward to rest her forearms on her bent knees. She regarded the dog in front of her steadily for a long moment. Demon kept his ears pricked and his eyes trained on her face. "I really thought he was going to start growling when he was facing off with those punks in the park. I swear that guy acts more like a dog than you do."

She sighed and turned to stare out the window. From her vantage point, she could just see the door into the old well house. "He spends the first part of the evening insulting me, and then he saves my life. But the worst part is what happened after." She balled her hands into fists. "That creep had the nerve to kiss me! And without even asking first! If he had asked, I might have let him. He is kind of cute."

She grinned at a sudden thought. "Maybe I'll just have you bite him the next time he shows up. What do you think?"

Demon froze in the act of scratching his ears again. An unnamed emotion darkened the gold of his eyes. Kagome paid very little attention to her fascinated audience. She picked up her pencil, twirling it between her fingers.

"But if he ever does anything like that again," she tightened her fingers until the pencil snapped in two with a dull crack, "I will make sure that he becomes a permanent soprano." Demon winced and hunkered down, curling his tail between his legs. "I'll pour honey on that long hair of his and throw him inside a bear cave! I'll tie him to a chair and make him watch Barney videos all night. I'll--I'll--I don't know what I'll do, but I'll think of something!"

She felt a slight pain in her hand and looked down; noticing that her pencil had been broken, and the dog was crouching on the floor with a slightly panicked look in his eyes. One of the splinters had scratched her finger and it stung a little. Getting up to drop the ruined pencil in the trash, she caught sight of the clock on her bedside table.

"When did it get to be two o'clock!" she exclaimed. "I'm supposed to be meeting the girls right now so we can go window shopping!"

Kagome shoved her math book into place with the rest of her school books, grabbed a jacket, and ran out of the room.

"Hi, Mama! Bye, Mama!" she shouted on her way past the kitchen where Mama was enjoying an afternoon cup of tea.

"Wait a minute, dear."

Kagome froze with her hand on the doorknob. "Yes, Mama?" Demon, unnoticed as he followed the girl, paused at the bottom of the stairs.

Mama got up from the table and walked over to Kagome, patting Demon on the head as she passed. "We haven't seen you all morning. Where are you off to?"

"Shopping, Mama." Kagome hoped that Mama would just accept that and not ask any more questions.

"Is your homework done?"

Kagome forced herself to meet Mama's eyes with what she hoped was a sincere expression. "Yes, Mama."

"Kagome." Kagome winced at the warning tone in Mama's voice.

"Well, I'm almost done." Her fingers tightened fractionally on the doorknob. "Please, Mama. I'll finish it tonight. I promise."

Mama sighed, but reluctantly nodded. "All right. But I want you home before dark."

Kagome released the doorknob to throw her arms around her mother in an exuberant hug. "Thanks, Mama! You're the best! I promise that I won't be late!"

Before she could change her mind or add another restriction, Kagome slipped out the door and clattered down the Shrine steps. Unnoticed, a white-furred shadow squeezed out after her and followed some distance behind.

Kagome ran as fast as she could down the crowded sidewalk.

"I am so late," she muttered to herself, dodging a harried-looking woman with three screaming children hanging onto her. "Why did I let them talk me into this? I should really be home studying."

"Kagome! Over here!"

Kagome looked around and finally spotted Eri waving to her from the other side of the street. With a quick glance to either side, she found the way momentarily clear and dashed across the road. Angry honking informed her that several irate motorists were less than thrilled with her flagrant disregard for crosswalks.

"It's about time you got here," Yuka complained without even a hello. "We've been waiting for twenty minutes."

"Hello to you, too, Yuka," Kagome responded. "I'm sorry I'm late. I lost track of time."

"Thinking about a certain boy," Eri asked slyly.

"Oh, that's right," Ayumi broke in. "How was your date?"

Kagome's face twisted into a scowl. "Inuyasha is the rudest, most egotistical, foul-mouthed guy I have ever met. He spent most of the evening insulting me."

"But is he cute?" Yuka wanted to know. Eri and Ayumi leaned closer, interested in learning more about the mystery man.

Pausing before answering, Kagome thought back on the few times she had seen Inuyasha. Long black hair that would make any girl turn green with envy (it looked sooo good on him), intense golden eyes, and a lean, muscular body. She swallowed as she remembered the feel of his skin under her fingertips when she was checking him over for injuries after the gang fight. Inuyasha was most definitely not cute. He was HOT! At least until he opened his mouth, then he was just annoying.

Kagome became aware of the three pairs of eyes staring at her, waiting for a response. She giggled to cover her confused thoughts when it came to Inuyasha. "Yeah, he's cute."

Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi smiled, their eyes getting dreamy at the thought of romance. Of course they wanted to know all the details. Kagome tried to satisfy their curiosity without mentioning either the fight or the kiss. A familiar figure up ahead caught her attention.

"Hey, Sango! Wait up!" The dark-haired girl turned around when she heard her name called. She smiled when she saw Kagome and waved.

"Oh, no," Yuka moaned under her breath. "Not the Fighting Freak! Do we really have to spend our day with her?"

"She doesn't seem that bad," Eri offered.

"Get a clue, Eri." Yuka looked with distaste in the direction of Sango. "She's a freak! Didn't you see how she almost broke Yura's arm during our self-defense class?"

Kagome heard the whispered comments and stiffened, but didn't say anything. These three were her friends; they had always done everything together. Sango was still the new girl and it would probably take a little time before she was fully accepted.

"Hi, Kagome." Sango pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "How are you this morning?" She spared a brief nod for the other girls, but didn't greet them. Yuka muttered something and, to judge from the look on her face, it wasn't very flattering. But whatever she said was lost in the roar of a large truck speeding past them.

"Are you doing anything today?" Kagome felt a liking for the quiet girl, and was determined to include her. "We're going window shopping. Do you want to join us?"

Sango's gaze slid to the closed expressions on the other girls' faces behind Kagome's welcoming look. She shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Great!" Kagome grabbed Sango with one hand and Yuka with the other. "I know this wonderful little gift shop that just opened. Come on!" She began to retrace their steps in the opposite direction, dragging her friends behind her.

Turning the corner at the end of the block a little too fast, she crashed into someone going the other way. Embarrassed, she looked up with an apology on her lips, but the words died before they were spoken.

"You!" Her fingers loosened their hold, allowing Sango and Yuka to pull free. "What are you doing here?"

"It's always a pleasure to run into you, Lady Kagome," Miroku responded with a slight bow. "And I do mean that literally."

"Who's this, Kagome?" Ayumi asked. "Is this the guy you had the date with? He's cute!"

"No way!" Kagome protested vehemently. "This is just the perverted friend of Inuyasha."

Miroku's eyes lit up when he saw Kagome's three friends, not to mention the lovely Sango. He straightened dramatically, planting the butt of his staff firmly on the sidewalk. Kagome briefly wondered if that staff was permanently grafted onto his hand, since she had never yet seen him without it. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Miroku, the monk. And what would your names be? I have already met Lady Sango and Lady Kagome."

"I'm Eri. Are monks allowed to date?"

"My name is Yuka. I bet you have some fascinating stories about life as a monk."

"I'm Ayumi."

"Three beautiful names for three beautiful girls. Would you mind answering a question for me?" All three shook their heads slightly.

Miroku stepped forward and took Yuka's hands in his, but smiled charmingly at all of them. "My duties are a little different from those of the average monk. Maybe you could help me with them. Would one of you lovely ladies consent to bear my child?"

Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi gaped at Miroku with identical expressions of shock. Sango moved before Kagome could and whacked the monk on the top of the head with her fist. Miroku let go of Yuka to clutch his poor abused head, looking at Sango reproachfully. Yuka looked like she was ready to bolt, with Eri and Ayumi right behind her.

"Don't worry about him," Sango said with an annoyed glare at Miroku. "He's a harmless pervert."

Kagome suddenly remembered that Miroku had said the same thing to Sango when they first met. He had been quite eager to date her and had even seemed to be on his best behavior for most of the night. She sighed. And here she thought the lech might actually have feelings for her friend.

"What are you doing here, Miroku?" she demanded. "You seem to be everywhere that I am. If I didn't know better, I would swear that you were following me."

"Following you?" Miroku gulped and went a shade paler. "Of course I'm not following you! It's just coincidence! Why would I be following you?"

Kagome frowned. Something didn't feel right. She opened her mouth when a flash of white disappearing into an alley half a block away caught her attention.

"Are you all right, Kagome?" Sango asked, concern evident in her voice. Kagome tore her gaze away from the dark blur of the distant alley.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She shot a look at Miroku who had regained his usual calm façade. "I thought I saw something." That had almost looked like Demon! But didn't he stay home today? Kagome wracked her brains, but she couldn't remember forbidding the dog from following her downtown. She had only told him not to follow her to school. Not that she knew why the dumb animal wanted to be with her, though he was acting strange that morning.

Kagome shook her head to rid it of the thoughts running around in circles. It was a nice day. She was out with her friends. No stupid white dog or perverted stalker was going to prevent her from enjoying it.

"Come on, guys! Let's go shopping!" She looked over at Miroku who was eyeing Eri with an appreciative gleam in his eye. He would probably just follow if they left him behind, and she would rather keep him where she could see him. Especially his hands. "Why don't you come with us, Miroku?"

He pretended to think about it for a minute or two. "I would be delighted. Five beautiful lades such as yourselves shouldn't be allowed to wander around unescorted."

Sango snorted. "Just remember to keep your hands to yourself."

"Of course."

The group wandered away, talking animatedly. A white form emerged from the alley that he had hidden in. He sat in the middle of the sidewalk, debating with himself about what to do. That monk was too easily distracted, it would be impossible for him to keep his attention on one girl when he was surrounded by five. With a sigh, Demon rose to his paws and followed after Kagome and her friends.

* * *

Inuyasha stayed doubled over on the floor of the old well house for several minutes after the transformation was over. The fucking spell hurt just as much as it had the first time he changed. It felt like his guts were being ripped out and then shoved back in the wrong order, and he always felt slightly disoriented. His hand curled into a fist (briefly he was surprised to not see a furry paw) where it rested on the pounded dirt floor, and he moaned. 

Unsteadily, he pushed himself to his feet. His head spun, being so far from the ground, before it steadied. Taking deep breaths of the cool night air, he concentrated on being human again. One hand grasped the Shikon no Tama around his neck, drawing comfort from the smooth hardness.

A faint scent reached his nose and he instinctively turned towards the source. Kagome. She must be studying with the window open again. Inuyasha grinned. Her mother insisted that she was going to catch a chill, but the girl never listened.

He sniffed the air again, unconsciously relaxing at the familiar scent. Long ago he had ceased to be amazed about how much stronger scents and sounds were; it was probably just a side effect of the curse. He spent half his time as a dog. It seemed only natural that his senses would become sharper.

Once out of the well house, he glanced up at Kagome's window to make sure she wasn't in a position to look out and see him. He couldn't see her and decided to take his chances and dash across the open expanse of lawn. It would really make his nightmare of a life complete if she were to see him and assume that he was stalking her. Actually he was, but she didn't need to know that.

Miroku was waiting for him in the shadowy alley not far from the Higurashi Shrine. He was humming something. Inuyasha, with his enhanced hearing, could hear it clearly. The tune wasn't familiar, though it was catchy.

Miroku looked up at his friend's footsteps. "Ah, Inuyasha, what a wonderful night to be alive." He smiled. "We are truly blessed."

Inuyasha snorted. "You spent the afternoon surrounded by five beautiful girls. You were supposed to be keeping an eye on Kagome, not freaking out innocent girls with your perverted ways."

Miroku drew himself up indignantly. "I did not freak anyone out. Can I help it if the ladies object to me showing appreciation for their bodies? And I will have you know that I never once touched Kagome."

"That's because you know that I would rip off your arm and feed it to you if you even tried."

Miroku exited the alley with Inuyasha, turning onto a street still busy with evening traffic. "There is that. But also the lovely Sango was watching me like a hawk. She kept herself between me and Lady Kagome the whole time. She seems to not trust me very much."

"It's your hands she doesn't trust." Inuyasha shot his friend an amused look. "Let me guess, she slapped you."

"Twice." Miroku reached up to rub his cheek. "Very hard, too. I don't think I've ever met a girl who hits as hard as she does."

"I'd watch my step with that girl if I were you, Miroku," Inuyasha advised. "She's unusual and she's liable to do something permanent when she gets tired of your wandering hands."

"The girls love me," he replied, throwing his arms wide in an expansive gesture and nearly hitting Inuyasha in the chest. "I've broken more hearts than you and I haven't been around for nearly as long."

"I haven't found the right girl yet." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, his expression turning sullen.

Miroku sobered. "Well you'd better hurry, my friend. You don't have that much longer." He fell silent, but kept shooting little glances at Inuyasha and chewing absently on his lower lip as if debating something. "So, did you take my advice? Did you get anywhere with Lady Kagome?"

Inuyasha stumbled on the perfectly even sidewalk. "That's none of your business, pervert," he spluttered. They walked in silence for a few beats before he spoke again, slowly and reluctantly. "I kissed her."

Miroku's face broke into a wide grin. "I knew you could do it! I didn't hear the crack of her hand against your cheek, so I'm assuming she didn't object."

"I didn't wait around long enough for her to do anything," Inuyasha commented sourly. "But today in her room, she had plenty to say about it and what she would do to me. None of it good."

"You were in her room?" Miroku sighed, obviously thinking perverted thoughts.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Inuyasha thanked the gods for small favors that it was too dark for Miroku to see the blush that stained his face. "Kagome sees me as her dog! I wouldn't-- We never--. It was an accident!"

Miroku almost visibly perked his ears up. "What happened? Come on, Inuyasha, you can tell your best friend."

"Nothing happened," Inuyasha growled. "Just drop it."

Miroku tried wheedling, which only earned him a large bump on the head. He decided to talk about something less painful.

"I never got the chance to tell you, but Sango mentioned something interesting to me last night."

"I thought she was too busy hitting you to talk to you," Inuyasha retorted, half his mind still on Kagome and her threats.

"For your information-- Never mind, what's important is that Sango knows about the Shikon no Tama."

Inuyasha brought his hand up to close convulsively around the jewel. "How could she know about it? I've had it for the last fifty years and, before that, it belonged to Kikyo."

Miroku shook his head. "I don't know. All she said is that the jewel used to be in her family's keeping and that she's spent her whole life studying everything that is known about it." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You know, this might be to our advantage. Neither one of us really knows what the Shikon no Tama is really capable of. Kaede doesn't even know very much and it used to belong to her sister. Maybe Sango knows something that we do not and would be willing to share some information about the jewel."

Inuyasha tightened his grip on the jewel. "No!" He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax, dropping his hand back to his side. "No," he repeated in a calmer voice. "I don't want to get anyone else involved. If we ask her what she knows, then she will want to know why, and we'll have to tell her about the curse. She would probably tell Kagome and there would go my chances of getting the girl to trust me enough that she would consider helping me out. And Naraku is still out there. He might know about Sango, but so far he is leaving her alone. We don't need to draw his attention to her by meeting more often. If he got a hold of Sango and forced her to tell him what she knows, then he could use that information against us. I've seen what Naraku is capable of and I wouldn't wish his methods of persuasion on anyone."

"If you say so," Miroku said dubiously. "But if you keep closing yourself off to people who could help you, the curse will never be broken."

Inuyasha grunted. "That's my problem." They reached the herb shop and started up the stairs leading to Kaede's apartment. "Let's talk to Kaede and see if she's found out anything useful."

* * *

A/N: This chapter didn't exactly go in the direction I had planned, but it seemed to work. Inuyasha is starting to help Kagome overcome her fear of dogs. Now, if only he could get her to like his human form. He may have just ruined everything with that unasked for kiss (Though that was Miroku's suggestion and we know the kind of luck he has with the ladies). Until next chapter! 

**Food for thought:** To err is human; to really foul things up requires a computer


	8. Chapter 7

_Anybody know CPR? I'm hoping to breathe life back into this story. No matter how long it takes between updates, I refuse to let it die. Hopefully, it won't take me another year to get the next chapter out. Well, I do have ideas for the next chapter. That's a start, anyway._

_Shower me with praise and/or constructive criticism. (No flames or death threats, please) Maybe that will help keep me inspired._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 7

* * *

Inuyasha followed Miroku through the door into Kaede's modest dwelling, still thinking about what his friend had just told him. He could care less about what Sango or her family had to do with any of this. The only important one was Kagome because she had the power to break the curse. Of course, he didn't want anything bad to happen to Sango or to Kagome, which was another good reason to not involve either one in the darker parts of his past.

Absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't realize Miroku had stopped until he bumped into him. Irritated, Inuyasha looked up and saw something he never thought to see. Elderly Kaede was occupied serving tea to an equally elderly gentleman seated across from her. Wasn't she too old to be entertaining men in her home?

"Shut the door, Inuyasha," Kaede commanded without looking up. "Otherwise, some people will be tempted to think that ye have no manners."

Inuyasha found himself obeying automatically. He scowled when he realized what he was doing, but it was too late, the door had been shut. What gave Kaede the right to order him around? He practically raised her after the death of her sister. Just because she was sagging and wrinkled now, she tended to act more like his mother instead of someone's annoying little sister. As frayed as his temper was lately, he still couldn't bring himself to take it out on Kaede and transferred his fierce expression to the stranger instead. A stranger to him anyway.

"Myouga!" Miroku strode forward to grasp the bald little man's hand. "What are you doing here? Were you looking for me? How did you find this place, anyway?"

Myouga started to heave his round self to his feet, but Miroku motioned for him to remain where he was and, leaning his staff against a wall, sat in the nearest chair. Inuyasha snorted and plopped to the floor, golden eyes never leaving the little man's nervously shifting ones.

"I have my ways, young man," Myouga replied, picking up his teacup and then setting it down again without tasting it. "But I came across some new information that I thought you might be interested in. And I thought it too important to try and get hold of you through the usual channels." He stopped and raised his cup to his lips.

"Spit it out, old man!" Inuyasha emphasized his statement by slamming his fist against his thigh. Myouga jumped, spraying tea everywhere.

"Is this the friend you told me about, Lord Miroku?" Myouga wiped tea off of his face, peering in Inuyasha's direction. "The one who is interested in… you know. He doesn't look very stable."

Inuyasha shot to his feet and grabbed Myouga by his collar, hauling him across the floor and over anything that was in the way. Kaede sighed and started picking up the pieces of her favorite teapot. This was the third one this month.

"I don't have time for this, old man," Inuyasha growled, holding Myouga's face barely an inch away from his own. "Are you going to tell what you know or am I going to have to beat it out of you?" Myouga gaped at him and his round eyes got even rounder.

Miroku pried the frightened little man out of his friend's grip. "That's enough, Inuyasha! Don't blame Myouga for your inability to get anywhere with Kagome. He might know something, but he won't be able to tell us anything if you scare him witless."

"Kagome?" Kaede's remaining eye sharpened and she looked at Inuyasha with something like disapproval. "The young miko ye are pursuing? Ye haven't done anything to frighten her, have ye, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha dropped back into a cross-legged position and scowled in the general direction of the floor. "Get off my back, old hag! I didn't do anything to her! She's an annoying, pig-headed girl and… nothing happened!"

Kaede sighed. "Never mind, I don't think I want to know. Just don't do anything foolish, Inuyasha."

The cursed young man grunted, his scowl turning blacker when Miroku snickered. He turned his glare on his best friend, who broke off into a coughing fit. Miroku took his time recovering, but was finally able to look at Inuyasha with the usual calm façade that he had spent years perfecting. He turned back to Myouga who was looking like he wished he had just stayed home.

"So, Myouga," Miroku said, "did you have some news about Naraku?"

"No, I--" Myouga broke off with a frightened squeak when Inuyasha shot to his feet.

"What do you mean, 'No'?" Inuyasha thundered. "Isn't that what we're paying you for? What are you doing out there?"

"Calm down, Inuyasha!" Miroku ordered. "You're not helping." Inuyasha huffed in annoyance, but grudgingly sat back down. Miroku turned back to the frightened little information seller. "Go on, Myouga."

Myouga cleared his throat, keeping a wary eye on Inuyasha as if not sure he was completely sane. "As I was saying, I haven't found out anything new about Naraku. He's been rather quiet the past couple of years ever since that fire tragedy on the other side of the city. And my sources were never able to confirm if he was directly involved in that or not."

"Get to the point, old man." Inuyasha impatiently drummed his fingertips on the floor.

"Yes, of course." Myouga cleared his throat again with another nervous glance at Inuyasha. "I did find out something about Onigumo." Inuyasha stopped drumming and sat up straight. "I checked the records from fifty years ago and found out that he paid an enormous amount of money to someone for services rendered."

Inuyasha snorted. "What's so fucking important about that?"

"It seems that part of the arrangement included the Shikon no Tama. Whether that was ownership of the jewel or a share in the profits from selling it isn't clear."

Inuyasha instinctively grabbed the jewel around his neck. He remembered Onigumo from fifty years ago. The bastard was always sniffing around Kikyo, even more so after she acquired the Shikon no Tama. Where she got it from, he had no idea. She had been rather reluctant to discuss the jewel, beyond saying that it only had real value for those with spiritual powers. And Inuyasha had respected her enough--well, more like didn't care--to not pursue it.

"Who? What?" Miroku demanded, waving Inuyasha to unnecessary silence. The golden-eyed man had no intention of doing anything that would prevent Myouga from sharing this fascinating piece of information.

The little man dug into his back pocket and brought out a handkerchief, some scraps of paper, and a handful of coins. Dumping the coins and scraps of paper on the low table next to him, he wiped the sweat from his bald pate with the handkerchief. After stuffing the cloth back into his pocket, he sorted through the bits of paper until finding the one he wanted.

"I was able to obtain an address and a name." He offered the paper to Miroku, who unfolded it to see a series of letters and numbers scrawled in Myouga's nearly illegible writing.

"Cupcake?" Miroku squinted at the paper. "Is that a name or a dessert? I can't read your writing, Myouga."

The little man flushed. "Sorry about that. That should read Tsubaki. I thought you might be interested because of the reference to the Shikon no Tama. She was one of the working class and came into quite a bit of money around that time. Probably half payment before the job and half after. I wasn't able to find out exactly what Onigumo hired her to do, but she is still alive and the address isn't very far from here."

Inuyasha snatched the paper out of Miroku's hand before fixing Myouga with a hard stare. "Tell us everything you know, old man. Miroku and I need to pay a visit to this Tsubaki."

* * *

Inuyasha scowled at the sad-looking building in front of them. The windows were sagging and the paint was flaking right off the walls. The whole place looked like one good sneeze would bring it crashing down.

"This is it?" Inuyasha didn't bother to conceal the disgust in his tone.

"Looks like it." Miroku studied the paper in his hand before pointing to the faded numbers on the sign above the words which read "Happy Pastures." "Maybe Tsubaki works here?"

"Just great. What did I do to deserve this...? Don't answer that." Miroku shut his mouth and tried to look innocent. "Let's find this Tsubaki person and maybe we'll finally get some answers.

Inuyasha barged through the front door in his usual manner. Miroku tucked the note into a pocket and followed, barely stopping before running into his friend who had stopped just inside the door.

"Bah!" Inuyasha held his sleeve over his nose. "Don't these people ever bathe? It reeks of old people and medicine!"

"May I help you?" A rather large woman in a crisp white outfit and her hair pulled back into a severe bun stared disapprovingly at the two young men.

The inside of the building was in better repair than the outside. The walls were a dirty white, devoid of pictures or decoration of any kind, and the only furniture in the room was a couple of uncomfortable looking plastic chairs. Behind the nurse or receptionist or whatever she was, double doors closed off the rest of the building. Nearly overpowering the scent of old people was a harsh antiseptic smell. Inuyasha didn't try to answer the large woman because he was trying to keep from retching at the disgusting odors overwhelming his poor senses.

"Why, yes, I believe you could, pretty lady." Miroku smiled and stepped in front of Inuyasha to give him time to adjust. The woman glared at the smooth-talking monk, but relaxed just a trifle at the flattery. "We would like to speak with Tsubaki, please."

The woman's expression turned suspicious. "And what do you want with Tsubaki?"

"It's a private matter," Miroku explained.

"For the love of--" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Move over, Miroku! We'll all die of boredom before you get anything out of the hag!"

"Inuyasha!" Miroku stumbled as his friend shoved him violently to one side.

"Where's Tsubaki!"

The woman refused to step back, meeting Inuyasha's hard gaze with one of her own. She clenched her jaw and crossed her arms over her chest. "Nobody but family is permitted beyond these doors. Most of our residents are delicate enough without being bothered by every idiot with a petition or an axe to grind."

"Ahhh!" Miroku's face lit up with comprehension. He shouldered Inuyasha out of the way, accidentally on purpose stepping on his foot when he opened his mouth. "My mistake, charming lady. I should have made things perfectly clear when we introduce ourselves. Inuyasha is Tsubaki's grandson."

"I am--ouch!" Inuyasha rubbed his sore ribs and scowled at his friend. Miroku was rolling his eyes and making strange gestures. What was the stupid monk up to?

"The family has been estranged in recent years." Miroku turned his smiling attention back on the suspicious nurse. "Inuyasha has only come to realize recently that his beloved grandmother is failing. He is quite concerned."

"Hmmm." The nurse didn't look convinced. "Tsubaki has never mentioned any surviving relatives."

"Don't you know what 'estranged' means, bitch?" Inuyasha snapped. He had to speak to this Tsubaki character--find out what her connection was to Naraku--and this hag was not going to stand in his way.

The double doors burst open, smacking into the walls on either side. Another young woman in a once-crisp uniform that was slightly askew came running in.

"Nurse Suki! He's doing it again! I can't hold him!"

Nurse Suki looked between the other nurse and her unwanted visitors. "Stay here," she commanded Inuyasha and Miroku. She pointed to the flustered young nurse. "Watch them!" Spinning on her heels, she marched through the double doors.

"Can I help you?" the young nurse asked, looking slightly relieved now that Nurse Suki was dealing with whatever the problem was.

"We're here to see Tsubaki." Miroku smiled in a winning way at the girl. Unlike the other woman, she was not immune to the monk's charm.

"Are you relatives?" She blushed becomingly under his appreciative looks. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Yes." He pulled a reluctant Inuyasha forward. "This is her grandson. We just received word that she was ill, and we rushed right over."

"Oh. Well…" She cast a dubious look over her shoulder at the double doors. "Nurse Suki said that you were to wait here. I really shouldn't do anything without her permission."

"Of course, I understand." Miroku sighed dramatically. "It's just that this may be the last time Inuyasha will see his grandmother alive. The family has been estranged for so many years… This may be the last opportunity to make amends. I'm terribly sorry to have troubled you, Nurse… "

"Yumi. But I'm not a nurse yet. I'm just an assistant."

Inuyasha worked hard to keep from gagging. Who in their right mind would believe the crap Miroku was spewing out? This girl, obviously, to judge by the dewy cow eyes she was directing his way.

"I'm sure a few minutes wouldn't hurt." The silly girl actually simpered at Miroku and batted her eyelashes. "Nurse Suki can be awfully strict, but she really does have the best interests of the residents at heart."

"Lead the way, my dear." Miroku bowed slightly and indicated with a wave of her staff that she should precede them.

Inuyasha scowled as he followed the two of them. The monk's behavior made him uncomfortable. Even if he lived for fifty more years, he didn't think he could learn to flirt that easily. Maybe it was genetic. Miroku's grandfather, Mushin, had been the exact same way. So had Miroku's father.

"Here we are," Yumi announced, pausing outside a chipped wooden door that looked like every other one in the hallway. "Most of our residents are already in bed. But Tsubaki is usually awake at this time. When she sleeps, it's always during the day." She knocked perfunctorily and entered without waiting for an answer.

"I brought you some visitors, Tsubaki," she sang out. "Look, it's your grandson!"

"What are you talking about, crazy bitch? I don't have a grandson! And even if I did, I wouldn't let him know where I was. One more bastard to try and extort money from me. Never did care for family. Idiots think you owe them just because you're related by blood."

Inuyasha peered around the room, searching for the source of the querulous voice. He finally spotted a stooped and wizened figure sitting in a worn armchair by the window. He nudged Miroku who was blinking and straining to see in the near darkness of the room.

"Oh, dear." Yumi sighed. "She gets like this sometimes," she confided to the two young men. "Poor Tsubaki abused her body in her youth with drugs and drink. It's left her nearly crippled and insane. No family has ever come forward to claim her, but someone paid in advance for her stay. We do what we can to make her comfortable."

"I understand." Miroku nodded. Inuyasha stared in disgust at the old woman, or what could be seen of her in the folds of the chair. Sometimes his enhanced sight was more of a curse than a blessing. The room wasn't completely dark to him, and he could see a whole lot more than he wanted to.

Miroku turned and took Yumi's hands in his own. She blushed in confusion. "You have been a marvelous help, beautiful Yumi. But I am sure that you have many more pressing needs to attend to you. Family reconciliations should be accomplished in private, don't you think?"

"I don't know." Yumi frowned and gently tugged her hands free. Inuyasha watched with interest. Apparently, this girl was both more dedicated and not as infatuated as he had thought. "I really shouldn't. Nurse Suki would be mad."

"I give you my solemn oath as a monk," he said. "We only wish to talk. We will do nothing to get you in trouble with the formidable Nurse Suki." He captured one of Yumi's hands again and held it gently while he stared into her eyes. "Please. It's very important."

"I guess it's all right if you give your solemn oath." Yumi backed slowly away, banged into the doorframe, and corrected her course without once taking her eyes from Miroku. At the last possible instant, he released her hand. She disappeared from view, reluctantly returning to her other duties.

Miroku sighed and closed the door, flipping the light switch. A single bulb on the ceiling fizzled to life. It didn't cast much light, only seeming to create more shadows.

He turned to Inuyasha and grinned. "See, I told you I'd get us in. You worry too much."

"Keh!" Inuyasha scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

The bundle of rags and sticklike limbs stirred. "Who are you?" she demanded. "I know you're not my grandson because I never had any children. What could you want from an old woman? Get out!"

"Not as senile as we were led to believe." Inuyasha grunted and stomped into the room. Miroku shut the door firmly to keep anyone from accidentally overhearing them.

"We would like to ask you a few questions," Miroku said, cautiously approaching the woman in her worn chair. "And then we will leave and never bother you again."

Tsubaki fixed beady black eyes on the monk. "I have nothing to say to the likes of you. Just go away and leave an old woman in peace." She scowled and turned her head away.

Inuyasha noticed as she moved that her hands lay upturned and useless in her lap. They were twisted and crippled and looked like nothing more than two giant spiders. A sapphire ring glinted on one gnarled finger. The sight sparked a faint memory.

"We're looking for information from fifty years ago," Miroku insisted. "It's very important. We have reason to believe that—"

Inuyasha snorted. "Quit dancing around the subject, Miroku." He glared at Tsubaki. "What do you know of Onigumo, old woman?"

Tsubaki stared at Inuyasha, a suspicious look coming into her eyes. "I haven't heard that name in years? Didn't he die from a misstep on a staircase?"

"Yes, he's dead," Inuyasha spat. "That's why we're here. Our information says that you had dealings with him."

Tsubaki's crippled hands twitched on her lap. "That bastard," she hissed. "He violated his sworn word! He cheated me! He promised me riches beyond imagining! All I had to do was one little thing."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to demand a straight answer, but Miroku elbowed him in the ribs. He made a shushing motion. Inuyasha fell silent after a scathing look at his friend. Tsubaki didn't seem to notice. She was still ranting about how Onigumo betrayed her.

"He promised me a position of wealth and power," she ranted. "It's all that selfish bitch's fault! All he needed was the Shikon no Tama!"

Inuyasha gasped. _Could she be talking about Kikyo?_

"Whose fault?" Miroku gently pressed when Tsubaki fell silent, except for indistinct mumblings.

Tsubaki pushed herself a little straighter in her chair. "_She _had everything! The interest of one of the most powerful men in the city, and the Shikon no Tama! But she never appreciated any of it! All she cared about was that whiny little sister of hers and some spoiled pretty-boy she was dating."

Inuyasha growled. _Spoiled pretty-boy?_ Tsubaki ignored him.

"Who?" Miroku asked again, more forcefully.

"Kikyo." Tsubaki's voice fell to a deadly whisper. "The Shikon no Tama, the most priceless jewel known to miko and other magic workers, had been left in her custody. It is said that the jewel can grant your deepest desires." Her voice rose to a shriek. "Yet she desired nothing! I would have been a better guardian for the jewel! I would have done great things!"

Her words sparked another memory deep in Inuyasha's brain. He remembered slender arms embracing him, a seductive voice whispering in his ear. _Forget her, Inuyasha. I can show you things she would never think of. Come..._

"You," Inuyasha growled. Tsubaki stopped in mid-tirade to look at him. "It was you." He suddenly pointed a finger at her. "Because of you, Kikyo believed that I was cheating on her. And all of that was just so you could get your grimy hands on the Shikon no Tama."

Tsubaki peered at him in the uncertain light provided by the one bare bulb. "So." She chuckled, a scratchy sound like snakes rustling through dry grass. "You are the pretty-boy, are you not? I thought at first that you might be _his_ son or grandson, but it is you. What devil did you sell your soul to that let you keep your youth?"

Inuyasha flinched, but was determined to admit nothing to the old witch. "None of your business!"

She grinned evilly. "I was paid good money to waylay you on that very public street corner. Of course, I always did have a weakness for handsome young pretty-boys. It wasn't that bad, was it... _Inuyasha_?"

"You conniving bitch!" Inuyasha bared his teeth and growled. Miroku glanced hastily at his watch--only an hour before dawn. The change must already be stirring in his blood. "You set me up! Kikyo died because of you!"

Tsubaki narrowed her eyes. "I had nothing to do with it! Was your relationship so insecure that Kikyo would think ill of you so easily? Kikyo was a shallow, bitter woman!"

"Don't talk about Kikyo that way!" Inuyasha roared.

"It's all over, anyway!" Tsubaki shouted. She struggled out of the confines of her chair. "Kikyo died! The Shikon no Tama was lost! All of my dreams went down in flames! Onigumo abandoned me! I lost everything!" Her expression turned fierce and accusing. "And it's all your fault!"

"What did you say?" Inuyasha clenched his fists and took a step forward. Miroku, alarmed that his friend might actually strike the old woman, grabbed his arm.

"Calm down, Inuyasha," he said urgently. "You're not helping." He looked at the tottering Tsubaki. "Where was Onigumo that night?"

"How should I know?" She answered Miroku, though she kept her eyes fixed on Inuyasha. "He showed up a couple of nights later, said that Kikyo was dead, and that the Shikon no Tama had vanished."

"Kikyo's life was taken that night," Inuyasha growled. The muscles of his arm were tense under Miroku's fingers. "Her sister lost an eye! And all this because you were jealous!"

"My reputation was destroyed!" Tsubaki's face turned purple with rage. Inuyasha could see her easily in the half-light of the room. "Onigumo made sure of that. I hate him almost as much as I hate you."

"Bite me!" Inuyasha shot back.

"You—you—" Tsubaki seemed to swell with fury. She sputtered incoherently. Abruptly, her eyes bulged out and she gasped. Inuyasha recoiled in surprise as she fell to the floor, limbs jerking uncontrollably.

Miroku dashed forward to kneel at Tsubaki's side. He looked up at Inuyasha. "She's having a seizure! Get help!"

Inuyasha glared at the convulsing figure on the floor for several long seconds. Without a word, he turned and ran from the room.

_

* * *

A/N: More revealing of the plot! Now we know for sure that Inuyasha was set up fifty years ago. And Onigumo's name is starting to crop up more and more regularly. I wonder how he was involved in all of this. Too bad he's dead. Hard to get information from a dead man. No raising of the dead in this story, so our heroes will have to put the pieces of the puzzle together through other means._

**Food for thought **(courtesy of EmeraldDragon) My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.

Erma Bombeck


	9. Chapter 8

_Look! It's another chapter! And it took me less than a year. I'm going to the South Coast Writers' Conference this weekend. As soon as I get back, I'm going to start working on the next chapter of Here Comes Santa Claws. I've already got a rough outline jotted down._

_Enjoy the chapter!_

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 8

* * *

Miroku followed Inuyasha out into the predawn chill. He glanced at the ominously lightening sky and heaved a sigh of relief. 

"Not a moment too soon, eh, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha growled. "We spent too fucking long answering stupid questions, Miroku. A little bit longer and we'd be dealing with even stupider questions. Not to mention outright panic."

"We wouldn't have this problem if you hadn't goaded the old woman into a fit," Miroku chided.

"She's a bitter old hag," Inuyasha retorted. "She enjoyed fucking up my relationship with Kikyo fifty years ago. I just wish she'd stayed sane long enough to tell us what Onigumo wanted with the Shikon no Tama." He was panting and his eyes were wide as he fought the change creeping through his body.

Miroku looked at his friend in concern. "You'd better find a hidden spot before you scare even more people." His expression turned disapproving. "You didn't have to snap at that poor EMT. She was just doing her job."

"Stupid fucking people asking stupid fucking questions." Inuyasha bared his teeth, showing rapidly elongating canines.

Miroku kept himself from backing away only through a supreme act of willpower. His training helped him to keep his heartbeat steady and his breathing calm. As Inuyasha made the transition from man to beast, for a few precious seconds he would have difficulty telling friend from foe. It would be suicide to provoke him. Best to be careful until Inuyasha was in command of his senses again.

Inuyasha glared at his friend, but turned and strode away without a word. He'd probably have more to say about Tsubaki this evening when he regained human speech.

_I swear, Inuyasha gets more doglike every day. Is it because time is almost up? I wonder, if we fail, will he die as a man or a beast?_

Casually, Miroku wandered away from the nursing center. He had no fear that Tsubaki would send anyone after them. If she started babbling about talking to a man who hadn't aged in fifty years, she would just end up sedated or restrained for her own protection.

Miroku frowned. That is, unless she didn't recover from her fit. Damn that Inuyasha. Tsubaki might have been able to tell them more. If she survived, he didn't think the nurses would allow them to talk to her again.

He jumped involuntarily when a large white dog appeared suddenly in front of him. How did he manage to move so quietly?

"You just about gave me a heart attack, Inuyasha! Give me some warning next time!" The dog gave him a disgusted look.

"If you hurry," Miroku said slyly, "you might reach the shrine before Lady Kagome leaves for school."

The dog sat down and idly scratched the thick fur around his neck with one hind paw.

"You won't get anywhere with the girl if you don't spend any time with her!" he scolded, not really knowing why he bothered. Telling Inuyasha to do anything just made him more stubborn. He sighed. "Fine. Do what you want."

The dog yawned. He cocked his head and looked at Miroku expectantly.

"I'm going to do some looking around." The gold of the dog's eyes darkened and he woofed once. "I'll be careful. What the old woman said got me to thinking. Onigumo may be dead, but his grandson, Naraku, is very much alive. Myouga gave me the address to one of Naraku's strongholds some time ago. It has since been abandoned, but I might be able to find something that was overlooked."

The dog stood up and grabbed Miroku's wrist in his mouth. He bit down, not enough to break the skin, but Miroku knew that his teeth would leave marks. A low growl rumbled in the dog's chest.

The implied strength in those jaws was just a bit unnerving. Inuyasha in his dog body could easily rip off his arm. Still, it was quite clear that he was only concerned. Miroku wondered when he had learned to understand his dog friend so well.

"I'll be careful," he repeated. The rising sun reflected orange and red on the clouds and cast long shadows on the ground. "You'd better hurry, 'Demon.' You don't want to keep Lady Kagome waiting."

Demon released Miroku's wrist and snorted. Miroku grinned. Somehow, the dog managed to convey irritation and agreement in one sound. With one last stretch and shake, the dog turned and loped in the direction of the shrine and Lady Kagome.

Miroku watched until Demon darted around a parked car and disappeared from view. "I don't know why I keep doing so much for you, my friend." He sighed and scanned the surrounding area briefly. No sense in taking chances. Living closely with Inuyasha all these years had taught him that much.

After checking that nobody was acting suspicious (this early in the morning very few people were moving around) he closed his eyes. It took only a moment's worth of concentration to recall the information he wanted.

Sneakiness had been drummed into him by his father-- usually with a stick. Getting caught or being tailed was not an option. They had always known of the people searching for the Shikon no Tama. Until last night, they had never completely known why.

Taking a circuitous path designed to lose or bore any pursuers, Miroku headed for an older part of town and Naraku's last known stronghold. Along the way, he stopped for breakfast.

He was just finishing his second cup of tea when he spotted a familiar figure. She was walking with her head down, apparently oblivious to her surroundings.

Miroku hesitated. Two instincts warred within him. The first one insisted that he had a lot of snooping to do before meeting up with Inuyasha after dark. The second one couldn't resist a beautiful young lady. Especially one who seemed resistant to his charms.

He changed course and followed Sango, quickening his steps until he was right behind her. She never once looked around.

_This is too easy,_ Miroku thought. He wondered if he should say her name or grab for her delectably rounded ass. Either way was sure to get an entertaining reaction.

"Don't even think about it, pervert," Sango warned in a low voice. She stopped so suddenly that Miroku had to do a kind of hop-step to keep from running into her.

She turned around. Miroku grinned charmingly and tried to project an air of innocence. "Do you really have such a warped opinion of me, Lady Sango?" Feeling suddenly nervous, he ran his hand through his hair. "Where are you off to this fine morning?"

"None of your business," she replied flatly.

Something else occurred to him. "Shouldn't you be in school?" He'd spent enough time spying on Kagome that he was well aware that today was a school day.

"That's also none of your business." Sango shifted her weight, her eyes flicking almost imperceptibly from side to side.

Miroku had enough experience with clandestine missions to know Sango had not cut school just to get a jump on the weekend sales at the mall. She was good, but her body was slightly too tense and her eyes were too restless. Something was up.

_There go my plans for the day._ Miroku suppressed a sigh. _From what she's let slip before, I don't think she just decided to go for a stroll. I wonder if this has anything to do with her missing brother._ Whatever was going on, he couldn't just let her walk into a dangerous situation.

He smiled. "Walking is thirsty work. How about a cup of tea? My treat."

"No, thank you." Sango shook her head and started walking again.

Miroku trotted after her. "Where are you going? Maybe I can help."

Sango stopped abruptly. "Who said I was going anywhere?" she hissed at him. "I don't need your help! Just back off!"

Miroku swallowed, wondering why he was suddenly reminded of Inuyasha in one of his more pissy moods. "Come on, Lady Sango. Think of it as a date. I really would like to get to know you better." He tried to close the distance between them.

"Not one more step." Sango watched him warily, his hands in particular. "Any closer and I'll scream for help. They'll lock you up for the pervert and stalker you are!"

Miroku held up his hands in surrender and backed up until Sango relaxed fractionally. "No need to be insulting. I was just trying to be friendly."

"I don't need friends!" She started walking quickly again.

He waited until she was almost out of sight before following. His grandfather, Mushin, had prided himself on his tracking ability (_Stalker is such an ugly word_) and had taught his grandson everything he knew.

Miroku's throat tightened with sudden memory. _I'll find that bastard. I'll track him to the ends of the Earth, and Naraku will pay for the murder of my grandfather._

* * *

Sango pushed all thoughts out of her head. She couldn't afford to be distracted, especially now. She finally had a faint lead, and not even school was going to get in her way. The bastard who destroyed her family was almost within her grasp. 

There were several people in town who owed debts to her family, large or small. Father had often confided in her, despite protests from others that she was too young. Sometimes he had taken her with him when he was meeting various people. Sango still remembered how to contact some of them

Her eyes misted with tears. _I will avenge you, Father. And I'll recover the Shikon no Tama and restore honor to the family name._

The only thing that had nearly shaken her resolve was the unexpected meeting with Miroku. Those piercing eyes of his seemed to look right into her soul. Did he suspect something?

Sango took a deep breath and forced herself to slow down. A shadow flickered at the edge of her vision. She stopped and peered suspiciously in all directions.

People brushed past her without stopping, each locked in his or her own little world. Nobody paid any attention to her. Then, why did she have the feeling that she was being followed?

Clouds floated across the face of the sun, casting everything into shadow. Sango shivered. She glanced at her watch. It was getting late. Where she was going, it would be quite dangerous to be caught there after dark.

Slowly, clean streets and nice houses gave way to grime and a hard wariness from the few passersby. Sango moved her lips, silently chanting the address to herself. Numbers had been removed and signs defaced in many places, but she kept moving and searching.

She stopped in front of one dilapidated building. Nobody seemed to be home. Boards had been nailed across the door and no lights shone in any of the grimy windows. It didn't look very inviting.

Sango hesitated for the briefest of seconds. Then she squared her shoulders and set one foot on the first of the cracked concrete steps.

Somebody grabbed her shoulder.

Honed reflexes reacted automatically. She seized her attacker's arm and twisted her body, sending the person stumbling and sailing over her hip. Continuing with the motion, she whirled gracefully and twisted the arm of her assailant, shifting her weight for a kick at the vulnerable body.

"Miroku?"

Miroku tried to grin at her despite the embarrassing and slightly painful position. "Um, do you think you could let go of me? My arm is going numb."

"Sorry." Sango released the monk and backed away while he climbed to his feet. "It _was_ you following me! Why?"

Wincing, Miroku rotated his arm. "Call it curiosity." Sango snorted. He sighed. "If you must know, I don't think beautiful girls should be in this neighborhood. It's dangerous. What are you doing here, anyway?"

Sango drew herself up to respond angrily, but Miroku held up a hand.

"I'm not as stupid as you think I am, Lady Sango. Does your early morning stroll have anything to do with that missing brother you told me about?"

For a long moment, Sango held herself rigid and said nothing. Her brain raced furiously, making and discarding excuses. One look at Miroku's piercing violet eyes and she abandoned them all.

Somehow, he knew.

She looked away and started to pick at a strip of peeling paint on the rickety wooden railing next to the steps. "Someone told me that he was here," she mumbled.

"Who? Your brother?"

Sango shook her head, impatient, and dug her fingernail into the rotting wood. "No. Him. The one who destroyed my life. Nar—"

Miroku clapped a hand over her mouth. "Don't say it." With his fingers in the way, she couldn't yell at him. Instead she glared. He didn't look at all intimidated.

"Don't say that name," Miroku repeated. "Especially around here. You might attract unwanted attention."

She twisted away, and he let her. "I'm not a child," she retorted. "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah." Miroku snorted. "Which is why you didn't bother to get verification for your information. He's not here. Hasn't been here in years."

"What do you mean?"

Miroku glanced around, looking suddenly nervous. "Not here. Let's talk somewhere else."

Sango clenched her fists, suddenly furious. "Tell me what's going on!" Her voice rose despite Miroku's frantic shushing motions. "You know more than you're letting on! Tell me!"

"Tell her," a voice growled from the shadows of a nearby alley. "We're all ears."

Miroku and Sango automatically put their backs together, looking around for the source of the voice. Sango swallowed hard, hoping that Miroku couldn't feel how hard she was trembling. Her father would not be proud of his daughter for letting herself get trapped like this.

Hiten, his crooked nose a reminder of how Inuyasha had broken it, stalked onto the sidewalk. Manten, leering in a way that made Sango shudder, appeared behind his brother.

Several more figures appeared, seemingly from nowhere. Sango counted six, not including the two Thunder Brothers. She swallowed. This was a little more stacked than she liked her odds.

They were surrounded.

Hiten smirked and cracked his knuckles. "I believe we owe you two some payback."

_Father would be so disappointed,_ Sango thought.

* * *

"I don't like you," Kagome said. "You're smelly and ugly, and you have way too much body hair." She paused and glared at her silent audience. "Are you listening to me? Why don't you go bother Souta? I'm sure he'd love to teach you some more tricks." 

Demon yawned. He narrowed his golden eyes and returned the girl's glare with one of his own.

_Stubborn bitch._ Demon snorted and plopped his furry hide down in the middle of the girl's room. He wasn't going anywhere. There wasn't a human alive who could out-stubborn him.

Kagome ground her teeth and turned around in her chair, trying to ignore the large dog and concentrate on the evils of math homework instead. She wasn't doing a very good job, to judge by how tense she looked.

A snap punctuated the air. Kagome instantly colored the air with a stream of curse words nice girls shouldn't even know the meaning of. Demon pricked his ears, mildly impressed. He wondered if her mother was aware that she knew such words.

"—stupid pencil!" Kagome shouted. With a sigh, she pulled out a plastic pencil sharpener. "This is the third time! I'll never get my homework done at this rate!"

Demon laid his head on his paws and snorted again. He remembered homework. One good thing about being a dog half the time was that he didn't have to bother with mindless drivel like that. Let the scholarly types, like Kaede or Miroku, worry about boring paperwork.

This was boring. Demon stared vaguely at a fly that had landed on the floor in front of his nose. It walked around, stopping every once in a while to rub a pair of legs together. He briefly entertained the notion of finding out who was faster, magically transformed dog or disgusting housefly.

He snorted, sending the witless insect zooming away in a panic. Flies tasted terrible, anyway.

Rolling his eyes, he looked at the girl. She was moving her lips soundlessly, a cute little crease between her eyes.

Demon lifted his lip, wrinkling his nose. _No! Not cute! All she is good for is breaking the spell! Kagome Higurashi is not cute!_

Kagome crossed her ankles, humming under her breath. Demon found his gaze riveted to those slender ankles, noticing almost absently the remnants of bright pink nail polish on her toenails.

"Got it!"

Demon jerked and almost bit his tongue at the sudden shout. Quickly he looked away. Couldn't be caught salivating over a teenager's dainty feet and slim ankles. No matter how cute they were.

"I think I deserve a break," Kagome announced. She grinned at Demon, who had his ears down and was staring at a fly walking across the floor as if it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. "Weird," she muttered.

Kagome pushed her chair back and stood up. She reached her arms over her head and stretched, twisting to work the kinks out.

"Ooooh! That feels good," Kagome said with a moan.

Demon wasn't listening. He was more interested in the smooth expanse of skin that had been revealed by all her stretching and turning. He bit back a whimper of disappointment when she brought her arms back down and tugged her pajama top back into place.

"Wow, I didn't realize it was so late." Demon looked up as Kagome walked over to the window. "Look at that sunset!"

_Sunset!_

"What's wrong with you, crazy mutt?"

The dog ignored her, shouldering her aside so he could brace his feet on the windowsill and stare at the rapidly darkening sky. Now he could feel the change creeping through his body. Each hair was shrinking and his teeth were growing blunter. With a strangled sound, he turned and bolted.

The closed door brought him up short.

"Demon, stop that!" Kagome shouted as the dog's claws scratched the smooth wood. "Hey! Let me get the door open before you ruin it! If you have to go that badly, I'm not going to stand in your way."

Demon squeezed through the crack, almost forcing the knob out of Kagome's grip. At a dead run, he hit the stairs. Thumping behind him told him that the girl was following for some odd reason.

"Hey, Demon! Where've you been all evening? I've got a new trick to—"

He avoided Souta easily. Mama was just coming inside from some errand or other. Demon hit the door with all of his weight, stumbling into the great outdoors. With no time to really think about it, he headed for the old well house. At least he would be hidden.

Kagome's distant shouts sounded angry and just a touch worried. Demon nosed the door to the well house open, padding inside quickly.

He stumbled as the sun dipped below the horizon. Fire burned along every nerve. Shivering, he threw his head up and waited. The door still stood slightly ajar. There was no time to close it properly. It was taking every ounce of his willpower to stay silent as the magic forced his body back into the shape of a man. He would just have to hope that Kagome wouldn't find him.

Five minutes and an eternity later, Inuyasha crouched on the floor of the well house. He drew in deep shuddering breaths, his muscles still twitching in reaction. It had grown quiet outside. Perhaps Little Miss Nosy had given up.

The door creaked.

Cursing his luck and every god he could think of, Inuyasha turned as quickly as his body would allow. The shadowy doorway leaped into startling clarity before fading back into an indistinct outline. He shook his head. Stupid dog senses! Now he was starting to see in dog vision even when he was human.

"Demon?" Kagome stood framed against the twilight sky, peering nervously into the dusty interior. "I could have sworn I saw him come in here," she muttered. "Maybe I'm just imagining things. Stupid dog probably just has a hot date with a poodle or something."

CRASH!

"What was that?"

Inuyasha cursed silently. Why was there a rake in a well house, anyway? On second thought, maybe this wasn't such a good place for magical transformations. No windows and only one door, in front of which stood an annoying girl.

Kagome edged farther into the well house.

Inuyasha growled. _Stupid bitch. She's just begging to be mugged or kidnapped. What are they teaching kids in school these days?_

"Who's there?" Feeling along the wall her fingers brushed against a piece of wood lying against it. She gripped her makeshift club tightly. "I'm warning you, I've got a weapon!"

_A half rotten piece of board. Yeah, right!_ Inuyasha thought derisively. He eased back onto his heels, wincing as newly-reformed muscles protested.

Kagome's eyes still hadn't adjusted, judging by how she peered around uncertainly. Inuyasha could see just fine, now that his eyes had settled into that happy range between keen doggy sight and ass-poor human vision.

Unaware of how close she was to the edge, Kagome stepped forward. Her foot missed the first step of the wooden stairs. Flinging her arms wide in a desperate attempt to regain her balance, she squeaked.

Inuyasha caught her as she tumbled forward. The piece of board she still held clouted him on the side of the head as she instinctively flung her arms around his neck. Staggering, he tightened his grip, fighting to stay upright.

His foot hit the side of the wooden well. With a grunt, he sat down hard on the old boards covering the opening. Kagome's scent rose to his nostrils and he suddenly became aware that he was sitting on the edge of the well with a cute girl straddling his lap.

Kagome opened her eyes.

_They're very brown, almost like chocolate. Or mocha._

She relaxed her hand and let the board fall.

"Have a pleasant trip?" Inuyasha chuckled.

Her head snapped up. "What the hell are you doing in here?" She placed both hands flat on his chest and pushed. For an instant, he resisted her struggles to get away. "Let go of me, you big idiot!"

Inuyasha flushed as his body reacted to her movements on his lap. Standing up abruptly, he let go.

"Oomph!" Kagome glared at him from the ground.

"You're welcome, by the way," Inuyasha snapped, determined to divert her before she started yelling at him.

"What?"

She looked adorably befuddled, gaping up at him like that. Inuyasha bit back a groan.

_Kagome Higurashi is not cute!_

"Do you normally go running around in the dark? Without a flashlight? In your pajamas?"

Kagome blushed and pulled her knees in to her chest. "It wasn't totally dark when I came out here and—" She stopped, and then narrowed her eyes. "Hey! No fair distracting me! This is my property and you don't have permission to be here. Give me one good reason why you're sneaking around, or I—I'll scream."

_Shit!_ Inuyasha thought quickly. _Think of a good excuse, mutt-brain! I can't tell her I've been in her bedroom all evening._

The hair on the back of his neck suddenly prickled. Inuyasha snapped his head up, unconsciously flaring his nostrils to try and catch a scent.

There it was again! Not so much a sound, as a bone-deep feeling. It made him want to growl and raise his hackles, and he was human right now.

Abruptly he shoved past Kagome, ignoring the girl's startled cry. His gaze swept the yard, searching. He sensed Kagome come up beside him. She started to say something, but he silenced her with a harsh wave of his hand.

There! Two dark shadows staggered into the yard. Inuyasha bit back a curse. _What did that bastard do? _Must he lose another friend to Naraku?

He leaped forward to gingerly support the battered and semiconscious monk on one side, taking care not to jostle him or his equally battered companion too harshly.

_Where was that stupid girl when he needed some help?_ He looked up, irritated. Kagome's pale, white face stared back at them, slender hands pressed to her mouth.

She gave a choked gasp and a horrified whisper, "Sango?"

**

* * *

Brought to you by Food for Thought, it's Phobia of the Week: **

Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of going to school.

_I wonder if a teacher would ever buy this excuse?_


	10. Chapter 9

_And it's another enthralling chapter in the story that just keeps limping along. I know it's been a while, but here's a brief recap for those who don't read my profile page on FFN. I moved to Kent, Washington in June. Right now, I am the nanny for my nephew while my sis and her hubby are at work. And this Fall I will be starting a distance learning course through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to get my Master's in Library Science._

_Baby Lincoln is just over 3 months old and requires a lot of care. For those who don't know babies: he does sleep a lot, but only in short naps because he still needs to eat every 3 hours or so. And when he's not eating or sleeping, he's awake and wants to be entertained._

_Therefore, my creativity and desire to sit down and write when I do have the time has kind of fizzled lately. When I start school, my time will probably be even shorter than it is now. I'll continue to crank out chapters to both this and HCSC, but not on a fixed schedule. Thank you for your patience and support. Happy reading!_

_Many thanks to my beta, EmeraldDragon, who helps me keep the plot holes small and the continuity problems in check._

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 9

Kagome stared in sick fascination at the two people lying on the rough floor of the well house. Inuyasha refused to tell her anything, but she was beginning to suspect that there was more going on than any of her new acquaintances had told her.

Miroku looked like he was sleeping. If it weren't for his torn clothing, various darkening bruises and bloody cuts, and the death grip he had on his staff, she would have thought he was merely taking a nap. Inuyasha had snapped at her when she reached for the staff, intending to move it to someplace less in the way.

"Leave it alone!" Inuyasha glared at her. She could almost hear him growl.

Kagome recoiled in shock. "Why?" she protested. "He'll probably be more comfortable if he doesn't have to hold it."

"He's fine." Inuyasha went back to tearing his shirt into strips. "Believe me; you're safer if you don't try to touch the staff."

Kagome scowled at him, which he ignored. She turned her gaze to Sango and her eyes softened with worry and sympathy pain.

Faint lines creased Sango's brow. The muscles in her jaw tensed and bunched, but she made no sounds. Her eyes moved restlessly under closed lids.

"You're safe now, Sango-chan," Kagome whispered, daring to reach out and stroke the other girl's cheek. "I don't know what happened, but I won't let you be hurt anymore."

Sango flinched under the light touch. Then she relaxed slightly and turned her face toward Kagome's fingers.

"What happened?" she asked, more to herself than to the irritating guy who was frowning at the strips of cloth that had once been his shirt.

Inuyasha didn't show the least embarrassment about being shirtless in front of her. His long black hair trailed down his naked back, the muscles rippling smoothly as he bent over his task. The skin looked so smooth and flawless. Kagome had a sudden overwhelming desire to touch it.

She blushed and averted her gaze. _No! Bad Kagome! Bad! Inuyasha is a rude jerk! He is not touchable or at all se—He's just not!_ Kagome resolutely turned her eyes elsewhere, though she couldn't help peeking just a little bit out of the corner of her eye.

"It's none of your business." Inuyasha picked up a handful of cloth. "Get me some water."

Kagome's temper flared, any pleasant thoughts she might have had about him banished. She was tired of being ignored or treated like a little kid. "My friend looks like she tried to take on a gang all by herself, and you tell me that it's none of my business. Well, I'm making it my business. What's going on, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha tied one of the makeshift bandages around a nasty-looking slice on Miroku's arm. He looked up at Kagome and his eyes glittered with barely contained fury.

"Revenge," he spat. "There are dangerous people in this world that would do anything to get the Shi—to get more power. I don't know how Sango got mixed up in all of this. Frankly, I don't give a damn. But if I find out that she had anything to do with what happened to Miroku, then she and I will have a long discussion. And she'd better have some fucking good answers."

Inuyasha bit off the last words through clenched teeth and turned back to Miroku and the pile of bandages. Most of the wounds had stopped bleeding, though a small gash on Miroku's temple looked worrisome.

"Will they be all right?" Kagome asked in a small voice. She hated to see her friend in pain, but she didn't know how to make it go away. Now she wished she'd paid more attention in first aid class.

"Mama keeps a first aid kit in the bathroom," she offered. "Do you want me to get it? And I really think we should call an ambulance. They'd get better care in a hospital."

"No doctors!" Inuyasha whipped his head around to glare at her. "They'll just fuck everything up." He frowned worriedly as Miroku's hands tightened slightly on his staff. "Maybe we do need more expert help."

Inuyasha rose fluidly to his feet. "Stay here and be useful," he ordered. "Get some water and see if you can clean out some of the cuts, but don't touch Miroku's staff."

"Where are you going?" Kagome stared up at him. Secretly she was glad that somebody had taken charge, even if the brusque order irritated her.

For a long moment, she didn't think he was going to answer her. "To get help." Inuyasha didn't say anything more, just slipped out of the well house silently and vanished into the shadows.

Sango groaned. Kagome pushed Inuyasha out of her head and immediately bent over her friend. "You're awake! What happened? Are you okay?"

Sango licked her lips. "Water," she rasped.

"I'll get it. Just don't move." Kagome bounced to her feet and left the well house in search of water, conveniently forgetting that Inuyasha had ordered her to do the same task a number of times.

All of the lights in the house were off. Mama and Grandpa were firm believers in going to bed early, and there was no way they would let Souta stay up later than them. Kagome at fifteen was granted a bit more leeway. And as long as she kept her grades up, Mama only frowned a little if Kagome was out late.

Kagome hesitated. She really didn't want to use one of the sinks in the house. Knowing her luck, Mama or Grandpa or even Souta would be up, getting a glass of water or a snack. Souta often complained that he was a growing boy and couldn't be expected to survive the long hours until breakfast. Despite the fact that she felt Sango and Miroku needed professional attention, she didn't want to have to explain what was going on when she didn't fully understand it herself.

She returned briefly to the well house for a bucket. There was one mixed in with all of the gardening tools. Sango looked like she had fallen back asleep. Moving quietly, Kagome found the bucket and went outside again.

There was a faucet on the side of the house. Carefully she rinsed out the bucket and filled it with clear water. When she tried to lift it, she nearly threw her back out. It seemed that a bucketful of water was heavier than she thought. Grunting and sweating, she managed to haul it into the well house--though a good amount splashed out to soak the ground and her bare feet.

With a sigh, Kagome set the heavy bucket down next to Sango and retrieved some of the rags Inuyasha had left. She dipped one into the water and squeezed a little onto Sango's lips. She repeated the action several times before the girl sighed and turned her head away.

Taking another rag, she got it wet and wrung out the excess moisture. Gently she dabbed at the cuts, wincing each time Sango shuddered.

"I'm sorry."

Kagome looked up at the soft voice. Sango's eyes were open, but not really focused. The slight flush on her cheeks argued for fever.

"Sorry about what?" Kagome asked, folding a moistened rag and placing it on Sango's forehead. "What—"

"I failed you, Father." Sango whimpered and tears filled her eyes.

_She must be delirious,_ Kagome thought, noting the glazed look in Sango's eyes. _I hope Inuyasha gets back soon. I don't know what to do._

"He wasn't there, Father. I should have known better." Sango closed her eyes and two tears trickled out from under her lashes. "But I was so sure that I had finally found the lead I needed. Instead, I walked straight into a trap."

"Hush, Sango." Kagome smoothed the girl's hair, feeling uneasy about what Sango was babbling in her delirious state. _I don't like this. I don't like this at all._

"I wanted to avenge you!" Sango cried, her face contorted with emotion. "_He_ did not get what he wanted! So _he_ took you from me." Her voice trailed off and Kagome thought with relief that she had fallen asleep.

"The jewel," Sango mumbled her voice barely above a whisper. In spite of herself, Kagome leaned closer to hear better. "The source of so much grief. I wish it and its unholy powers to hell."

"What jewel?" Kagome breathed almost reluctantly.

"The Shikon no Tama," Sango replied, her voice blurry with sleep.

"Who wants it?" Kagome pressed, unwilling to let her friend rest just yet.

"Naraku."

Kagome sat back on her heels as the slackness of Sango's muscles informed her that the girl was asleep. She chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. _This sounds serious. Maybe I should call the police before somebody gets hurt._

The slight creak of the well house door caused her to jump. She spun around, one hand over her heart which was galloping like a wounded gazelle.

"Who's there?" Kagome squeaked. A misshapen outline filled the doorframe. "Don't come any closer! I'm warning you!" She scrabbled on the floor and her fingers closed on a discarded nail that had been twisted nearly in half. _Better than nothing._ "I've got a weapon!"

A familiar snort came from the shadowy figure. "Put down the nail before you hurt yourself."

Kagome blinked as the figure stepped farther into the well house, and turned into Inuyasha carrying an old woman on his back. With a gruff courtesy that Kagome had never expected to see, he set the woman down and led her over to where Miroku and Sango lay.

"Has there been any change?" Inuyasha asked, squatting beside Kagome.

"Sango woke up for a little bit," Kagome told him, more relieved than she was ready to admit that he came back. "But I think she was delirious. She kept babbling about her father, someone called Naraku, and a jewel with a funny name. Oh, she also talked about vengeance." She glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. "Do you know what she was talking about, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha ignored her, focusing his attention on the old woman. "Do something, hag!" he snapped. "I didn't haul your worthless carcass all the way here for you to just stand around!"

Kagome gasped. "Show some respect, Inuyasha!" Forgetting herself, she slapped Inuyasha on the arm. Inuyasha scowled and rubbed at the place her hand had touched, but kept his mouth shut.

"I know Inuyasha well, child." The old woman chuckled, the sound kind and understanding. Kagome felt herself relaxing. "He may be a little crude and rough, but he has a good heart."

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. Was he blushing? It was hard to be sure in the darkness of the well house. "Are you his aunt or something?" There was something protective and maternal about the old woman, but Kagome hesitated to think of her as Inuyasha's mother.

Inuyasha gagged and made a face. "Me? Related to her? Whatever gave you that idea?"

The old woman ignored Inuyasha's theatrics as she placed a large bag on the floor and began pulling things out of it. "No, child. Inuyasha and I have some history between us and an understanding of sorts." Something clinked as she took it out of the bag and set it down. "My name is Kaede. And you must be Kagome. I have heard quite a bit about you."

"How do you know my name?" Kagome gaped in shock. _Who were these people?_ "What's going on? Why—"

"Patience, child." There was a sharp click and the old woman's form was thrown into sharp relief by the portable lantern she had just turned on. She adjusted the light with confident movements before picking up a small bowl from the row of similar vessels laid out before her.

With careful hands, she scooped out a blob of sharp-smelling green gunk and began dabbing it on the worst of Miroku's cuts. After a few minutes, she sat back, setting the bowl down and wiping her fingers on a small towel. She picked up another bowl, this one containing what looked like shredded leaves.

"Put some water in this, Inuyasha. Fill it to about here." She handed a cast-iron vessel to him and tapped a spot about a third from the top.

Kagome almost expected Inuyasha to argue, but to her surprise, he obeyed without any of the sarcastic remarks she was beginning to anticipate from him. While he measured out the water, Kagome watched the old woman closely.

"What are you doing, Kaede-san? Shouldn't we get Miroku and Sango to a hospital? Or I can get the first aid kit from the bathroom? I think there's some gauze and antiseptic in it."

Kaede chuckled, the lines around her eyes crinkling pleasantly. "Such a curious, thoughtful child. I do believe that Inuyasha is right about you." She set out an object that looked like a portable hotplate and switched it on. The burner immediately began to radiate heat.

"Right about me?" Kagome echoed, looking at Inuyasha in confusion. The young man scowled and ignored her, concentrating on placing the pot of water just so on the burner.

"Take this." Kaede handed the bowl of smelly green paste to Kagome, distracting her. "Put a generous amount on the worst of your friend's wounds."

"What is it?" Kagome wrinkled her nose. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it had an unfamiliar odor.

"It's a mixture of comfrey and witch hazel," Kaede answered. "It will help to stop the bleeding and promote faster healing." She emptied the bowl of shredded leaves into a tea strainer and put it into the pot of boiling water.

Kagome tentatively scooped up a dollop. Her fingers tingled briefly. _This stuff must be strong,_ she thought, and applied the goop with more confidence.

Each time her fingers brushed over an injury, they tingled. It made her feel uneasy in a nonspecific way. To distract herself, she asked the friendly old woman questions. That was much easier than trying to pry answers out of Inuyasha.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at the bowl Kaede had picked up.

"This is oil from St. John's Wort. It's good for reducing inflammation and bruising." Kaede dabbed the oil on Miroku, and had Kagome do the same for Sango. The boiling pot behind her hissed fitfully. "When you are finished, child, you can help me with the tea."

Kagome finished spreading oil on a livid bruise and sat back, wiping her fingers absently on her pajama bottoms. "I don't think they want to drink any tea, Kaede-san."

"Healing tea, child." Kaede pulled two cups out of her surprisingly spacious bag. She wrapped a towel around her hand and reached for the pot. Even with the protection, Kagome could see her wince at the heat.

Inuyasha snorted. "Out of the way, old hag." He shouldered her aside and grabbed the pot with his bare hands.

"I didn't know ye cared," Kaede commented slyly.

Inuyasha flinched, but continued to pour out the tea. "I can't have you crippling yourself," he growled. "Somebody needs to heal Miroku every time he gets in a fight." He set the pot down with a thump and placed his hands behind his back, but not before Kagome got a glimpse of red and blistered skin.

"Inuyasha! Your hands!" Kagome grabbed his arm and pulled, but he resisted. "You burned yourself," she scolded. "It looks bad. Kaede should put something on it."

"I'm fine, bitch!" Inuyasha snapped, trying to lean away from her and keep his hands out of sight. "Leave me alone!"

Kagome practically crawled into his lap, pressing against him while she tugged futilely at his arm. "Stop being stubborn! Just let me see!"

"No!"

"Whenever you're finished, children," Kaede said with a hint of amusement in her tone, "I'd like to finish up and get these old bones back to bed. I'm not as young as I used to be."

Kagome froze and immediately became aware of several facts. She was straddling Inuyasha's lap, which had the effect of reminding her of another such incident, her front was pressed rather intimately against his chest, and his warm breath was stirring the hair by her ear and doing funny things to her insides.

"Get off me!" Inuyasha placed his hands on her waist and shoved.

Caught by surprise, Kagome grabbed instinctively at his arms. She nearly pulled him over on top of her as her bottom hit the floor of the well house.

"Watch what you're doing, bitch!" he yelled, bracing himself to keep from crushing her.

Kagome saw him flinch as he put pressure on his sore hands and was immediately concerned. "I'm so sorry! Let me see!" Before he could stop her, she had grabbed one of his hands.

"Odd," she mumbled, running her fingers lightly over his palm. "I could have sworn they were burned." Carefully she examined the skin. It might have been a little pinker than normal (though that was hard to tell in the uncertain lantern light), but not the blistered mess she expected.

"Are you satisfied now?" Inuyasha ground out, sounding strained.

Kagome started, feeling herself turning red, and immediately released her hold on the boy. Kaede said nothing as the two young people scooted as far away as possible without leaving the circle of lantern light.

Kaede chuckled as she lifted Sango's head and helped her to drink. Kagome immediately jumped to help her.

"What's in the tea, Kaede-san?" Kagome asked, desperate to distract herself and give the blush time to fade.

"Just a decoction of yarrow for the fever, witch hazel for any internal bleeding, and some vderion to help them sleep."

"Oh." Kagome gently lowered Miroku's head to the ground and sat back on her heels. She watched Kaede carefully place her bowls and cups and other things into her bag. "Now what?"

"We let them sleep," Kaede replied. The old woman checked Sango and Miroku's vitals once more and let out a relieved sigh. "They'll be fine after some rest. That tea should keep them both under for at least twenty-four hours."

"Twenty-four hours? But Sango has school. She missed today, and if she misses any more she'll get in big trouble."

Inuyasha snorted. "Then you'll just have to think of an excuse, won't you?" He avoided looking directly at Kagome, staring at the lantern instead. "Or you could just tell them that you're little friend got herself beat up by a group of thugs. Of course, that wouldn't be smart. 'Cause then you might as well just yell 'I know what you did, so you better come and kill me now.'"

Kagome swallowed hard. "Are they that dangerous?" Something clicked and she narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha. "And what do you know of all this? Is there something you're not telling me, Inuyasha?"

"Keh." Inuyasha shut his mouth and glared harder at the inoffensive lantern.

She might have had more to say, but Kaede climbed to her feet with a loud groan. "I'm getting too old for this." The old woman fixed a sharp one-eyed stare on Kagome. "Keep them still, keep them quiet. They need that twenty-four hours of rest if they are to recover. It would be best if no one were to disturb them."

"In the well house?" Kagome bit her lip, looking doubtful. "Shouldn't they be in nice warm beds, with trained professionals to look after them?"

"I said, 'No doctors!'" Inuyasha growled. "Can't you get that through your thick skull? Bring out blankets if you must, but don't move them."

"Inuyasha's right," Kaede put in gently before Kagome could retort. "Trust me. They will be fine. And the well house will be much safer."

Kagome frowned. How could the well house be safer? But… well… she trusted Kaede. She didn't know why, but she didn't think the old woman would deliberately mislead her.

"Mama's going to wonder where I was all night," she protested faintly. She automatically glanced to the partially open door of the well house, where the deep black of night was slowly lightening.

"Go back to bed," Inuyasha ordered. He rose to his feet and retrieved the lantern, turning the knob and plunging the well house into darkness. Kagome stifled a surprised squeak.

"Go to bed, child." Kaede's voice was much gentler than Inuyasha's, taking the sting out of the words. "Nothing more can be done at this time. It is best to go about your business as normally as possible."

Kagome nodded slowly and stood up, absently brushing off the knees of her pajamas. "If you say so, Kaede-san." Her eyes were adjusting to the decreased light and she could see the vague form of Inuyasha hoisting Kaede onto his back.

"Why are you list—" Inuyasha began, only to break off abruptly. He shut his mouth and glared at the floor. Kaede, striving to look innocent, shifted her bag to a more comfortable position and placed both hands on Inuyasha's shoulders.

Kagome followed them out of the well house and into the open air. It wasn't as late (or early, depending on your perspective) as she had thought. There was still a good two, maybe three, hours before dawn. She yawned, suddenly realizing how tired she was.

"Remember what you have learned this night, child." Kaede turned her head to look at Kagome, her single eye glinting eerily. "Have Inuyasha bring you to my place some evening. We can continue your lessons."

_Lessons?_ Kagome blinked at her. But before she could think of what to say, Inuyasha's long legs had already carried them out of sight.

Kagome looked thoughtfully at the well house. "I wonder what Kaede-san was talking about? And why does she put up with Inuyasha's bad attitude?" She shrugged. "He seemed to have some sort of respect for her anyway. At least a little. Very little."

Shivering abruptly, she wrapped her arms around herself. "It's cold out here. I'm going inside where my nice warm bed is. Maybe I can even get a few hours sleep before I have to get up for school."

She glanced once more at the well house and bit her lip. "They'll be fine. Kaede-san said so. I'll deal with all of this later. After I get some sleep."

* * *

Inuyasha dumped the old woman on her doorstep and immediately headed for a certain area of the city, leaving Kaede to fumble out her key and get herself inside.

Kaede sighed, but didn't try to stop him. She had learned that much from living with him all these decades.

_Naraku._ Inuyasha's long legs carried him in a powerful ground-eating lope through the maze of darkened buildings and mostly empty streets. _He must be nervous, or hiding something. He would never have bothered sending his minions after Miroku and that girl otherwise._

He ceased his musings upon reaching his destination. This place was not the rundown hideaway that thugs like Hiten and Manten were thought to frequent. But then, those two weren't ordinary run-of-the-mill bully boys.

The hairs prickled on the back of Inuyasha's neck as he slowed to a walk. He was being watched.

Inuyasha scanned the buildings out of the corner of his eye as he passed. He had no fucking clue which one was the right one. All he had was some outdated information on the neighborhood Naraku was last seen in.

Maybe he should guess.

A half-seen movement caught his attention. He stopped, schooling his face into impassivity as a smartly dressed doorman opened the door to a well-tended tenement building on his right. The doorman stepped aside and motioned towards the dimly lit interior.

Inuyasha took two slow steps forward, his muscles tense. Nothing happened, except that the doorman continued to hold the door, a faintly bored expression on his face.

Every instinct screamed that this was a trap. The banked anger that had simmered inside of him all evening suddenly flared, and he took several deliberate steps toward the door. Furtive shapes avidly watched him from alleys and shadowed doorways.

No doubt about it. He was expected.

_Not that I had any intention of turning tail and running home like a whipped puppy._ Inuyasha curled his lip into what could have been taken as a snarl, and brushed past the doorman and into the building.

He paused just inside, taking a moment to let his eyes adjust. Dimly he heard the whoosh of the door closing and a faint click as it was locked. Apparently, leaving wouldn't be as easy.

There was nobody inside to greet him or show him the way -- only a single elevator on the far side of the room, conveniently open and waiting. Inuyasha shrugged, shoved his hands into his pockets, and entered the elevator.

All but one of the buttons had been removed. The only one still available was for the top floor. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. _Real subtle. Guess he wants to make sure I don't get lost._ He pushed the button and rode the elevator to the top floor. When it dinged and the doors slid open, he calmly stepped into another empty hallway

The door at the end was partially ajar. Inuyasha tried one of the other doors lining the hallway out of curiosity. It was locked, which meant the others probably were too. The soft whir behind him told him that the elevator was no longer available. That left only one option.

Forward.

The man inside the room wasn't even doing the expected thing of waiting behind a desk, pretending to be working. He stood, with his back to Inuyasha, beside a large glass aquarium. There didn't seem to be any fish, though.

_Lizards?_ Inuyasha squinted, just to be sure of what he saw. Yep. There were two or three bright green lizards, lazily snapping up the crickets being dropped into their cage.

The dark-haired man upended the margarine tub he held in his left hand, watching the crickets fall to the bottom where they were quickly devoured. He tossed the empty container into a nearby box labeled "Recycling" and turned around, dusting his hands.

"Inuyasha." The man smiled, though the expression didn't reach his eyes. "It has been a few years, hasn't it?" He leaned against the corner of his desk, running a critical eye over Inuyasha. "You're looking well."

"Cut the small talk, Naraku," Inuyasha snapped. "I have a bone to pick with you."

Again came that humorless smile. "Always the jester, aren't we, Inuyasha?" He leaned over and pressed a button on his desk. Inuyasha tensed.

Naraku cast a sardonic look his way. "Bring me a coffee, Kagura," he said into a small intercom. "Black." He paused and glanced at Inuyasha again. "May I offer you a drink? We have a fine selection of herbal teas to soothe jangled nerves. Or coffee. Though I don't recommend caffeine when you're so tense."

"Forget the fucking coffee!" Inuyasha snarled, uncomfortably aware that it wasn't long until sunup. "This isn't a social meeting!"

"Temper, temper," Naraku chided. He turned back to the intercom. "Just the one coffee, Kagura. And try not to let it get cold. We don't want a repeat of what happened the last time you screwed up an order."

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. "They'll live," he stated bluntly.

"Somebody's doing something right then." Naraku turned and made his way back to the aquarium of lizards. "The excitement of the battle and everything. Hiten and Manten aren't always the most reliable."

A small growl rumbled in Inuyasha's chest. He clamped his lips together and glared at the other man. _This was a mistake! There's not enough time! The change is close! I can feel it!_

Naraku cast a lazy glance towards the furious Inuyasha. "Very little happens in this city that I am unaware of. My grandfather may have been just a trumped up thief, but I am more. Much more. And I am willing to wait until the right time." His gaze lingered for a second on the collar of Inuyasha's shirt where the Shikon no Tama rested, hidden by his clothes.

_What?_ Only a supreme act of discipline kept Inuyasha from clutching convulsively at the jewel around his neck. "Onigumo was a fool."

"True." Naraku shrugged. A cricket that had somehow escaped the fate of its brethren crawled across the table. Naraku captured the insect and held it over the aquarium by one leg, watching it struggle frantically.

"Anoles are such fascinating lizards." He dropped the cricket. "Not quite as well known as the chameleon, but still impressive camouflage artists." The cricket jumped with powerful thrusts of its hind legs, just barely avoiding the first of the lizards.

Inuyasha eyed Naraku, suddenly wary. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Some animals, like the humble anole, have mastered the art of hiding in plain sight. If it is patient, it can be easily disregarded. By prey or by an enemy." The cricket stopped to rest on a twisted stick, out of reach of the first lizard. It didn't see a second one, looking as still and harmless as a rock, until it struck. "Those who know where to look, though, are never surprised."

Inuyasha fought to keep from showing his teeth. But it was hard. The window of Naraku's office faced east, and he could see the faintest lightening of the horizon. The dog howled inside of him, twisting against his hold.

Naraku sighed. "I'm not stupid, Inuyasha. I know who you are." He paused and looked at the young man expectantly.

_StupidStupidStupidStupid!_ Inuyasha chanted to himself. _I wasn't thinking! Why didn't I wait until tomorrow night!_ His lip curled, hiding the spasm as pain blossomed in his belly. _Face it. Thinking was never my strong point, and fifty years hasn't changed that._

"My grandfather had much to say about the man who thwarted him, all those years ago," Naraku commented. He stared at Inuyasha thoughtfully for a minute. "I must admit that it took some time to assemble all of the clues. The man who bested Onigumo turns out to be the same asshole I keep stumbling over every time I turn around."

Inuyasha eased back a step. The door wasn't that far away. Maybe he could get away. Maybe nobody would try to stop him. Yeah. And maybe he could jump out the window and learn how to fly before he hit the ground.

Naraku slipped his hand under the table and pushed a button. Inuyasha looked around to see several small holes opening in the walls and ceiling. Slim, tubular devices protruded from each one, their business ends glowing a dull red. One or more of those lasers would be sure to hit him before he could reach the door.

"You can't leave so soon, Inuyasha. We have unfinished business to take care of."_

* * *

_

_I just realized that I have now been writing Inuyasha fanfiction for three years. Yesterday marks the third anniversary of my membership with FFN. I hope to continue entertaining people with my stories for many more years. _

**Food for thought:** Every ten seconds, somewhere on this earth, there is a woman giving birth to a child. She must be found and stopped.


End file.
